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1 week ago
11 Since he signed for Manchester United in 2022, fans’ only qualm with Lisandro Martinez has been his availability – and for those more critical Reds, his height.
Unfortunately for United, the metatarsal fracture he sustained in April 2023 seemingly prompted a subsequent year of regular setbacks, so much so that he ended up missing almost the entirety of his sophomore campaign at Old Trafford in 2023/2024.
Martinez was unavailable for a total of 38 matches across all competitions, and boy, did they know about it. The Reds were leaking goals left, right, and centre in the Argentine’s absence, with veteran Jonny Evans having to be called upon significantly more than he could’ve ever imagined after returning to his former club in the summer.
As of August 2024, United’s win rate with the centre-half involved was 65 per cent: 39 wins in 60 games. Without him, they tallied only 27 wins in 50 games, recording a 54 per cent win rate (per StatmanDave).
Martinez withdraws from Argentina duty with fresh injury setback
(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)Supporters had hoped this season would mark a new beginning for Martinez and, in an ideal world, see him complete his first full term injury-free.
That dream may come to an abrupt end after the international break, though, as Argentinian journalist Gaston Edul has confirmed this afternoon that Martinez has been forced to withdraw from the national team due to a knock he sustained while playing in a recent fixture.
Club staff will assess him upon his return to Carrington, where he will then meet new head coach Ruben Amorim for the first time. It remains to be seen if the defender will be available for Amorim’s first game in charge: a trip to face Premier League newbies Ipswich Town on November 24.
There are hopes that Leny Yoro will be fit to make his competitive debut after the break, although it’s unlikely United will want to throw him straight into the deep end by including him in the starting 11 imminently.
