The defender was replaced in the 71st minute of Sunday’s 3-0 win over West Ham United following a coming together with Vladimir Coufal. Martinez dropped to the turf and immediately signalled he was in discomfort, and after trying to continue, was withdrawn soon after.
Erik ten Hag described the injury as’serious’ and a ‘personal disaster’ following Sunday’s game, but United clarified on Monday that the prognosis isn’t as terrible as initially thought.
“Lisandro Martinez has sustained an injury to the medial collateral ligament in his knee and is expected to be out of action for at least 8 weeks,” the club said in a statement. “We all wish Licha a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back on the pitch later in the season.”
Martinez’s season has already been severely hampered by injuries, so this is a significant setback. The centre-back had only recently returned from a four-month sabbatical due to a foot injury that had forced him to miss 18 matches since mid-September. As a result, the 26-year-old has been limited to only 10 appearances this season.
Martinez is scheduled to return to the squad in April and may be available for the final weeks of the season due to the non-surgical injury. In his absence, Ten Hag is expected to select Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Raphael Varane, and Jonny Evans at the heart of the defence, however none of the four provide a left-footed option, which United favors in the position. Manchester
