Lisandro Martinez made his first start for Manchester United since February as the team beat Brighton on the final day of the season.
After making his comeback from his latest injury against Newcastle in midweek as a substitute, Lisandro Martinez sent a fired up message to supporters.
He was subsequently named in the starting line-up against Brighton on the final day, a 2-0 victory for Manchester United.
Martinez played for an hour, with Erik ten Hag managing his minutes sensibly ahead of next week’s game at Wembley.
Lisandro Martinez performance praised
Lisandro Martinez offers a lot to Manchester United’s defence and his return coincided with a first clean sheet March 9, a 2-0 win over Everton.
It was great to see Martinez back in action, and his fairly uneventful return was exactly what Manchester United wanted.
Speaking to MUTV, former defender Phil Bardsley expressed his view on Martinez’s comeback performance.
Bardsley said: “I thought Martinez was fantastic today. There were some good performances.”
He added: “Martinez, he just brings a calmness, the way the manager wants to play, as well as his aggression with his defending.”
Predicting United’s defence for the FA Cup Final, Bardsley says he expects one of Jonny Evans or Raphael Varane to partner Martinez at the back.
Quinton Fortune added, speaking on Matchday Review: “His performance today, he’s ready. He’s got experience, he’s won the World Cup, so I don’t think he’s going to be nervous or anything.”
Defenders making comebacks
Centre-back has been a nightmare position for Manchester United in recent weeks after an unprecedented number of injuries.
Casemiro has had to play out of position at centre-back to fill in, and the team have also been reliant on veteran Jonny Evans, who has been battling his own injury issues.
Martinez’s return comes at the perfect time, while Raphael Varane made his return to action as a substitute during the win.
Ten Hag is still hoping Harry Maguire will be fit for the cup final too, to add to the mix. Finally it feels like United have some options.