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Injuries have been the running theme of Manchester United’s season but no injury has perhaps quite impacted their levels as the one to Lisandro Martinez.
The Argentine is not just a combative defender, he is a crucial part of the buildup and a key cog in what Erik ten Hag’s regularly calls “routines” of the XI.
Martinez has been MIA since coming off during the game in Munich on September 20 when he injured his foot again.
He has been suffering from metatarsal injuries since the end of last season and there was hope that he would be a key contributor this year after a strong pre-season.
However, after missing almost four months of action, Martinez recently sat down with the club website to provide an injury update.
He said he is “really good” and “the rehab is going amazingly”. He credited the physios and the medical department for taking care of him from day one.
As for his return, the manager recently expressed optimism that he will have his star defender back by January.
Martinez didn’t give an exact timeline but nonetheless, remained optimistic of a return “soon”.
He said: “Definitely, we need to be patient, we need to be patient,” he says. “I know that I will be back soon, very soon. It takes time, we need to be patient.”
During his absence, the team is already out of two competitions- the Carabao Cup and the Champions League.
However, with a top-four place at stake in the league, as well as the FA Cup on the horizon, he might be coming back at the perfect time to help the team launch an assault in these two competitions.
He said: “My mentality is to win everything. For sure now, we are out of the Champions League and we are disappointed for sure, but now we need to win every game. We need to fight, we need to go for the FA Cup, we need to achieve everything that we can.”