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Manchester United were rocked by the news of Lisandro Martinez suffering yet another injury which is set to sideline him for almost a month.
Erik ten Hag’s style of play is very much dependent on the Argentine’s presence in the backline with the World Cup winner having the composure to play out from the back with minimum fuss.
With Martinez being left-footed and having a no-nonsense style of defending, it is clear that the club currently do not have a player of his skillset in their ranks.
And with the race to Champions League football still on and the FA Cup within touching distance, his presence was a must during this crucial period.
However, since his first big injury and subsequent operation at the business-end of last season, the Argentina international has hardly managed to stay injury-free.
Licha’s rehab not well handled
He has missed 31 games in total this term, starting with a recurrence of last season’s injury at the beginning of the campaign.
The former Ajax star tried to play on by taking pain-killing injections but ultimately it proved too much to handle and the defender missed three months of action.
Soon after his return, the 26-year-old suffered a knee injury and the club was supposed to be extra careful with his rehabilitation but recent decisions have been questionable to say the least.
Why did the player go and join up with his international team to practice when it is clear to see that he needed further rest. And why did the manager again rush him back against Brentford when there were other options on the bench.
Martinez was ruled out for eight weeks and technically came back before that timeframe (enforced by Lindelof’s injury). That’s 53 separate cases of injury or illness that have caused an #mufc player to miss a game this season. Some players also concerned by training intensity.
— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) April 2, 2024
Ten Hag’s training sessions have frequently been blamed for the rising injuries and maybe even that needs to be tweaked moving forward.
While decisions from the coaches have not been spot on, the medical team’s performance is also under the scanner with Martinez’s injury becoming the 53th separate cases of injury or illness this term.
Not to forget, the club doctors had reportedly failed to spot Casemiro’s injury and INEOS must remember to complete a overhaul of this department.
Coaches, doctors both to blame
As The Manchester Evening News reporter Samuel Luckhurst pointed out, the decision not to hire a fitness coach is also proving to be quite costly.
He attacked the manager by pointing out that sending the centre-back out to Los Angeles would never be endorsed by Sir Alex Ferguson if he where to have remained in charge.
“Ten Hag brought an assistant coach in Van der Gaag and analyst Kevin Keji but not a fitness coach and that looks costly. Injuries have been rife at other elite clubs and post-Covid schedule hasn’t helped but breaking the 50-mark for ailments raises serious questions,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“And, as much as Martinez would have enjoyed spending time in the Argentina camp, it was illogical to allow an injured player to fly to LA when he hadn’t played in six weeks. The question wouldn’t even have even been asked if Ferguson was the manager.”
Now once again with key fixtures coming up, the Argentina star will be missing and his injury record is starting to look concerning. Maybe along with a right-sided centre-back, a backup for Martinez should also be in the plans for the new co-owners.
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