• Lisandro Martinez will miss at least eight weeks with a knee injury
  • The Argentine has been blighted by injuries this season
  • IAN LADYMAN picks his top five Premier League centre backs of all time – It’s All Kicking Off podcast 

Lisandro Martinez has thanked Manchester United fans for their support and vowed to recover from his latest injury setback as quickly as possible.

The Argentine will be out of action for at least eight weeks after damaging knee ligaments in United’s 3-0 win over West Ham on Sunday.

‘I want to give a heartfelt thanks for the great support I’ve received and to reassure you that I’ll soon be back out there, and we’ll fight together. Always United!,’ the 26-year-old wrote on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter.

Martinez had scans on Monday which confirmed the damage to his medial ligament, but he will not require surgery.

A club statement said: ‘Lisandro Martinez has sustained an injury to the medial collateral ligament in his knee and is expected to be out of action for at least eight weeks. 

Lisandro Martinez (above) will miss at least up to eight weeks with a knee ligament injury

Lisandro Martinez (above) will miss at least up to eight weeks with a knee ligament injury

‘We all wish Licha a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back on the pitch later in the season.’ 

While United have avoided the worst-case scenario, the injury is a significant blow to Martinez and Erik ten Hag.

The Argentine is expected to miss at least nine more fixtures in a season already blighted by injuries, which have limited him to just 10 appearances in all competitions.

Martinez’s debut campaign ended prematurely when he broke his foot in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals against Sevilla at Old Trafford last April.

He underwent surgery and was returned in time for the start of the season, starting United’s first five Premier League fixtures before a reoccurrence of the same injury sidelined him again.

The former Ajax defender underwent surgery on his foot for a second time and was out for four months, before coming on a substitute against Tottenham on January 14.

The win against West Ham was his third start in a row since recovering from injury and his performances were a timely reminder of how crucial he is to ten Hag’s plans.

The Dutchman admitted on Sunday that Martinez’s latest injury was a ‘personal disaster’ for the 2022 World Cup winner.

The Argentine defender injured himself after tangling with Vladimir Coufal

The Argentine defender injured himself after tangling with Vladimir Coufal 

Erik ten Hag said Martinez’s latest injury was a ‘personal disaster’ for the player

Erik ten Hag said Martinez’s latest injury was a ‘personal disaster’ for the player

‘He is very sad, very disappointed,’ he said. 

‘We are with him. He is just returning and is very important for us. He brings spirit to the team, aside from his football ability.’ 

United have a number of options to replace Martinez after Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw all returned to the squad in recent games. Veteran Jonny Evans is a naturally left-sided centre-back who can also step in. 

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Post source: Daily mail

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