Crossword Genius

Force one to put in team (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

manitou

'force' is the definition.
(spirit or force in some Native American philosophy)

'one to put in team' is the wordplay.
'one' becomes 'i' (roman numeral).
'put in' indicates putting letters inside.
'team' becomes 'manu' (short for Manchester United).
'i'+'to'='ito'
'ito' going into 'manu' is 'MANITOU'.

(Other definitions for manitou that I've seen before include "sacred object" , "Native American evil spirit; out main (anag.)" , "N American Indian spirit" , "Brave spirit" , "Algonquian deified spirit" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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