Manchester United are planning to welcome Lisandro Martinez back from injury before the end of the calendar year. The 27-year-old has been out since February, after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the match against Crystal Palace.
The defender began training at the end of Man United's pre-season tour in late July, after being promoted to the new leadership of the "Red Devils" by coach Ruben Amorim.
Although Martinez is still training separately in the process of recovering from injury, Man United hope he can return after the international break in November.
According to British media, Man United's medical team is planning to bring Martinez back to Amorim's squad, after he was present at Carrington with his teammates. Last month, the Argentine also visited the Etihad Stadium to support the team in the match against Manchester City.
Once again, Martinez showed his professionalism by staying to watch training sessions and attend team meetings. This is not the first time the former Ajax star has been forced to watch from the outside of the pitch after joining the "Red Devils" with a £56.7 million contract in 2022.
Martinez suffered a broken foot in April 2023, undergoing orthopedic surgery five months later, keeping him out of action until January 2024. The Argentine has since missed 26 games with a foot problem in 2023-24 and 10 more with a knee injury.
A calf injury also cost Martinez part of that season, before helping Man United win the FA Cup. He had a very healthy season before that, but suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in a 2-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace in February. Since then, the Argentine has not played for clubs or national teams.
Amorim has pointed out that the 27-year-old's absence is one of the reasons why Man United have struggled this season. "When you have a long-term injury, there is a period of rapid recovery, then when things get boring because the process slows down.
We miss Licha a lot, his determination in every phase of his football. However, Licha is always on the team, attends every meeting and often stays behind after practice to watch his teammates compete. We need him," said the Portuguese captain.
Luke Shaw has started all 7 Premier League matches this season of Man United as a left-sided centre-back, replacing Martinez. Amorim prefers a left-footed player in this position. Therefore, despite being a full-back, Shaw was chosen to replace Ayden Heaven, who started in the loss to Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup in August.
In addition to Martinez, Man United currently have only one worrying injury, defender Noussair Mazraoui, who is expected to return at the end of this month.
Last weekend, the "Red Devils" won an important 2-0 victory over Sunderland, temporarily easing the pressure on Amorim ahead of a difficult away trip to Liverpool after the international break.
