Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez faces a spell on the sidelines after suffering an injury against West Ham.
They say ‘you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone’, but Manchester United fans knew Lisandro Martinez was special after just a matter of games. His fully committed displays saw him become a real fan favourite, who is perfectly suited to the way Erik ten Hag wants to play.
Martinez’s injury issues have meant that his absence has been more painfully felt, and when he returned in January 2024, for just a few games, it was absolutely fantastic to see him back.
So when he suffered an injury against West Ham this past weekend, it seemed especially cruel. It’s uncertain whether he plays again this season.
Lisandro Martinez latest
The good news is Lisandro Martinez has not suffered an ACL tear. That would have put his potential return date at December at the earliest.
Instead Martinez, per the club website, has injured his MCL, a less serious type of knee injury which will still require some time out.
United say Martinez will be out for at least eight weeks, but the club are likely to tread very carefully with his recovery and certainly will not rush him back and risk a further setback.
Lisandro Martinez sends message to fans
Lisandro Martinez has been inundated with support from fans, while teammate Diogo Dalot was the first to publicly give him his backing.
Martinez has now sent a message to Manchester United fans, thankful for the words of positivity he has received.
He wrote: “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!”
West Ham star responds
Lisandro Martinez’s message received a response from a West Ham player he shared the pitch with in Sunday’s game.
This was his former Ajax teammate Edson Alvarez, who responded: “You’ll come back stronger brother. 💪🏼 I love you so much!”.
Whenever we next see Martinez, it won’t be soon enough. In his limited game time in 2024 he has looked a class above the rest.
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