Man Utd Receives Updated Injury Timeline for Lisandro Martinez's Return

Manchester United may welcome back Lisandro Martínez to action as early as October based on recent reports.

The compact but influential defender has been out of action since suffering an ACL injury on the opening Sunday of February. Martínez required surgical intervention on his left knee that same month, though fortunately avoided significant meniscus complications.

The Argentine star was included in the traveling party for United's pre-season American tour and has been observed returning to training activities this campaign. Martínez is targeting his comeback for sometime between late October and early November according to well-informed journalist Gastón Edul.

As always, there are worries about bringing Martínez back into action prematurely before he's fully ready physically, and the report indicates that the defender is approaching each phase with this summer's World Cup in consideration. Martínez was among the squad that claimed the global championship in 2022 and had secured his starting position by the time Argentina captured the 2024 Copa América while allowing only one goal across six fixtures.

United will also be extremely eager to have their key center-back available again.

The Red Devils have suffered through a terrible beginning to the new season. Manager Ruben Amorim has discussed resignation more often than celebrating wins as United are now statistically more probable to face relegation than secure a Premier League top-five finish.

Amorim's determination to persist with his favored 3-4-2-1 setup hasn't aided United's efforts to escape their current downward trajectory. The manner in which this system leaves the midfield duo vulnerable is a crucial element in the club's inability to record a clean sheet this season, while the discomfort of the defensive trio doesn't particularly improve matters. In a cruel stroke of bad luck, Martínez is among the limited players in United's roster who fits the back-three system.

Confident with the ball and capable of drifting to the left wing, the former Ajax player can also move into midfield to assist that consistently overwhelmed central pairing. United remained undefeated in the six fixtures directly before Martínez was left injured against Crystal Palace, having won their previous four matches consecutively. The club has managed back-to-back victories only once during the following seven months.