- Lisandro Martinez will miss at least eight weeks with a knee injury
- The Argentinian has been plagued by injuries this season
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Lisandro Martinez has thanked Manchester United fans for their support and vowed to recover from his latest injury as quickly as possible.
The Argentine will be out of action for at least eight weeks on Sunday after damaging his knee ligaments during United’s 3-0 win over West Ham.
“I would like to thank you very much for the great support I have received and assure you that I will be there again soon, and we will fight together. Always United!,” the 26-year-old wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Martinez underwent scans on Monday that confirmed damage to his medial ligament, but he will not require surgery.
A club statement said: ‘Lisandro Martinez has suffered 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 be absent for at least eight weeks due to a knee ligament injury
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“We all wish Licha a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back on the field later this season.”
Although United have avoided the worst-case scenario, the injury is a major blow for Martinez and Erik ten Hag.
The Argentine is expected to miss at least nine more games in a season already plagued by injuries, meaning he has played just 10 games in all competitions.
Martinez’s debut season 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 returned in time for the start of the season, starting United’s first five Premier League games before a recurrence 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 as a substitute against Tottenham on January 14.
The win against West Ham was his third consecutive start since recovering from injury and his performance was 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 Argentinian defender injured himself after a collision with Vladimir Coufal
Erik ten Hag said Martinez’s latest injury was a ‘personal disaster’ for the player
“He’s very sad, very disappointed,” he said.
‘We are with him. He just came back and is very important to us. He brings spirit to the team, in addition to his football qualities.’
United have a number of options to replace Martinez after Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw all returned to the side in recent games. Veteran Jonny Evans is a natural left-sided centre-back who can also step in.