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Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick has ruled out Lisandro Martínez for Saturday evening's Premier League encounter against Chelsea.
Martínez had been instrumental in United's revival at the beginning of Carrick's caretaker spell, but suffered a setback when he picked up a calf injury in February. He sat out five matches before making his return against Leeds United on Monday evening.
The Red Devils were widely expected to ease past their struggling opponents, with Leeds arriving in woeful form. Instead, the visitors capitalised on United's sluggishness and stormed into a 2–0 advantage, thanks to a Noah Okafor double. Martínez then added to the hosts' woes by being shown a red card.
The Argentine was sent off after VAR review, with his discreet hair pull on Dominic Calvert-Lewin ruled as violent conduct by the referee.
Leeds held firm to secure a 2–1 win—their first top-flight victory at Old Trafford in 45 years. For United, it marked their first home loss under Carrick's management.
Carrick Confirms Martínez Unavailability for Chelsea Clash
The manner of his dismissal means Martínez faces a three-match ban, ruling him out of forthcoming fixtures against Chelsea, Brentford, and Liverpool.
However, after Carrick described Paul Tierney's call as "one of the worst I've seen," Man Utd had been anticipated to lodge an appeal. At Friday's pre-match press conference ahead of the Chelsea fixture, the United manager confirmed that Martínez will not feature for the trip to west London.
"We didn't agree with it, it's obvious how I felt after the game, and I still feel that way now. I don't want to go into it now, it is what it is. We have to accept it and move on," he told the media.
Carrick stopped short of confirming whether the club had submitted an appeal to the FA in a bid to have Martínez available this weekend, but his Friday remarks indicate that any steps taken by United proved unsuccessful.
The Argentine's ban comes at a particularly difficult time for the Red Devils, who risk being pulled back into the battle for a top-five spot. A loss on Saturday would leave sixth-placed Chelsea just four points behind with five games remaining.
Carrick is also without Harry Maguire this weekend after the FA extended his suspension to two matches following an inquiry. The England international was dismissed at Bournemouth last month and was subsequently charged with 'improper conduct' directed at the officials.
With both first-choice centre-backs unavailable, Man Utd are likely to field Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven as their central defensive partnership at Stamford Bridge.