United Beyond Manchester

Manchester United will be without star defender Lisandro Martinez for up to nine months after an awkward fall against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford. According to ESPN, the club fears that the Argentine has torn his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

The injury occurred in the 76th minute of United’s defeat to Palace on Sunday when a challenge with Ismaïla Sarr caused Martinez to land awkwardly on his left leg. He received treatment on the field for six minutes before being stretchered off and replaced by Matthijs De Ligt.

In his post-match press conference, Ruben Amorim confirmed his immediate worry for Martinez saying, “Licha is really important for us, not just as a football player, but as a character, especially in this hard moment.

“Now it’s time to help Licha. I think it’s a bad situation. Let’s wait to assess things with the doctor, but I think it’s a serious situation.”

More testing will be done this week to determine the full extent of the damage, but things are not looking good for the 27-year-old.

The ACL tear is the latest serious injury to afflict Martinez after he suffered a fractured metatarsal in April 2023. He initially missed 14 matches due to the fracture but reinjury complications sidelined him for another 26 in the 2023/2024 season.

New signing Ayden Heaven is a candidate to play a significant role in the remainder of the 2024/2025 season now that Martinez is out. The 18-year-old was signed as first-team depth at left center-back but is now the sole left-footed center-back in Amorim’s squad. Luke Shaw, who has featured just three times for United this season, could also be used in that position upon his return.

Lisandro Martinez’s knee injury represents a significant setback for Manchester United, and all fans hope for his swift recovery as he begins a lengthy rehabilitation process.