3
Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez was forced to withdraw from international duty yesterday after the Argentinian medical staff uncovered a “significant hip injury”.
The 26-year-old sustained the injury during United’s 3-0 victory over Leicester City on Sunday. He required treatment on the pitch after colliding with an opponent, but was able to continue through to the final whistle, despite experiencing “discomfort” according to reports in Argentina.
The Sun reveals Martinez then “flew to join Argentina squad” where he was assessed by the national side’s doctors. It was during this examination where the extent of the issue was uncovered.
The report describes the injury as “significant” with the pain leaving Martinez unable to “function normally”; and for a player with the warrior-like mentality of the Argentine to be ruled out due to “pain” indicates it is acute.
The centre-back will return to Old Trafford to undergo more thorough testing by the United medical staff to uncover the exact extent of the injury.
If it is a serious one, as the Argentine doctors appear to believe, it would constitute a heart-breaking blow for the 26-year-old after the repeated injury problems he’s experienced in his first two seasons in Manchester.
A recurring issue with his metatarsal, as well as a desperately unfortunate MCL injury and a calf problem, has seen Martinez miss 56 matches for club and country since his £56.7 million move from Ajax to United two years ago.
Throughout his three years in Amsterdam, he missed just 13 games through injury.
And this latest setback comes at a bad time for Martinez given the recent arrival of United’s new head coach, Ruben Amorim, from Sporting Lisbon.
The 39-year-old will almost certainly bring his trademark three-at-the-back system with him from Portugal with Martinez the best candidate to take over the LCB spot, given his aggressive style and excellent technical abilities.
However, if the Argentine’s hip injury is as “significant” as his national team doctors suggest, Amorim may be forced to look for solutions in defence elsewhere.
The Portuguese coach’s debut at the helm for the Red Devils will come on November 24 against Ipswich Town, managed by a former United coach in Keiran McKenna. And Amorim will be anxiously waiting to find out whether he will have his best ball-playing defender available for the match.
Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images