It has been a difficult season of injuries for Manchester United, and for one player in particular, the bad luck goes back before this campaign even began.
13 months ago now, Manchester United experienced a nightmare 10 minute spell against Sevilla which blew the club’s season apart.
While the two goals conceded were a big blow at the time, Lisandro Martinez’s injury was even bigger, he ended up missing the FA Cup final.
A year later, and Martinez has sufferedmultiple injury setbacks. Another foot operation, a MCL injury, and most recently, a calf injury.
There may be good news on the horizon, withMartinez returning to training.
Lisandro Martinez back in training
Lisandro Martinez was pictured back in training on Thursday along with Marcus Rashford. It is a welcome double boost for this weekend’s game against Arsenal, although supporters wait on news on Bruno Fernandes.
Martinez’s return is very welcome, with Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Raphael Varane and Willy Kambwala all out injured.
A report in The Guardian claimed that United’s staff are really feeling the absence of Martinez and his vocal presence in the dressing room. Now he’s back.
The defender posted more images of his return to Carrington on his Instagram page.
It’s not just Manchester United fans who are delighted to see Lisandro Martinez take a big step towards getting back on the pitch again.
Two recent teammates, David de Gea and Sergio Reguilon both responded to his message to show their support. They know how important Martinez is to this Manchester United side.
Unsure how long Lisandro Martinez will last this time
This is Lisandro Martinez’s third comeback this season, and we just hope he will be able to stay fit this time, especially with the FA Cup final to work towards. There is a starting spot up for grabs.
Martinez’s first return saw him suffer an injury a month into the season. He also lasted a month after returning in January, and his subsequent knee injury.
The most recent one was even more frustrating. He made one appearance from the bench against Brentford and then went down in training with a muscle injury the next day. Many of United’s injuries seem to take place at Carrington.
One of the worries is that United’s lack of available centre-backs may again force Martinez back a little too quickly.
Erik ten Hag said this week that Jonny Evans played against Palace when he wasn’t fully fit.
Martinez is the type of character who will battle through the pain too, for the team, putting himself second, and this may be to his detriment. The last thing anyone wants to see is an injury to Martinez so soon once again.
United are a better team when he’s involved, so we can see why Ten Hag will want to put him back in quickly. He will probably start this weekend. But if we lose and he gets injured, it will be a total disaster.