Huge boost for Erik ten Hag as Lisandro Martinez is deemed fit enough to receive Argentina call-up

Lisandro Martinez has been called up to the Argentina national team ahead of their friendlies later this month.

It comes as a huge boost for Manchester United as the stalwart centre-back is now entering the final period of his rehabilitation, after which he’ll make his long-awaited return to the starting 11.

Martinez was dealt a layoff within the opening quarter of the campaign following a re-aggravation of the metatarsal fracture that ended his maiden United season prematurely.

It saw him sidelined from last September until the New Year when he made his comeback against Tottenham Hotspur in January, but he was only able to play the subsequent two Premier League matches before a collision with West Ham United’s Vladimir Coufal resulted in the defender suffering a sprain to the medial collateral ligament.

Martinez nearing return to action

An estimated timeline of around eight weeks was given for Martinez’s recovery and given that Lionel Scaloni has opted to include him in his squad, the coach will be aiming to have him available for their fixtures on March 23 and March 27.

🔙 Lisandro Martínez joins Lionel Scaloni's call-up for the friendly matches in USA! #ArgentinaNT pic.twitter.com/nvezukarby

— Selección Argentina in English (@AFASeleccionEN) March 12, 2024