Ruben Amorim will be without Lisandro Martinez for the foreseeable future.
The Argentine defender sustained a cruciate ligament injury in Manchester United’s 2-0 defeat against Crystal Palace.
Manchester United confirmed the seriousness of the injury on Thursday morning and it means that Lisandro Martinez will miss the rest of the season.
The Reds are preparing to face Leicester City in the FA Cup on Friday night. It will mark the return of former player and caretaker coach Ruud van Nistelrooy, after dumping Arsenal out in the previous round.
United have already had plenty of injuries this season and they will want to avoid getting more when they take on the Foxes.
Luke Shaw still ruled out
Along with Martinez, Luke Shaw will miss the game against Leicester City.
The left-back is being treated carefully and will not be rushed back.
“Licha is a difficult situation,” Amorim said at his pre-match press conference at Carrington. “He’s going to be out for a while.
“We don’t know the extent of the injury but it’s an injury that is going to take time. Luke, just a little bit, one small issue in a different area from the last injury, so we’ll try to be careful with Luke.”
It says a lot that United need to be so cautious with Shaw. At the age of 29, the left-back should be at his peak, but he can’t get a break from injuries.
Finding a replacement for Martinez
It won’t be easy to find a solution to the latest headache in defence.
Martinez is United’s best defender by some distance and he offers just as much threat in the final third.
Shaw can fulfil the role when he returns and we’ll likely see Leny Yoro get more first team opportunities which can only be a good thing.
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