Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has confirmed that defender Lisandro Martínez will undergo further surgery to fix his metatarsal injury.
Recall that The News Chronicle on Friday, reported that Martinez would spend an extensive period on the sidelines following an official statement from the club.
Last season, Martinez was ruled out for the ending part of the season after suffering a fractured metatarsal during their Europa quarter final against Sevilla.
The Argentine returned to training before the commencement of the 2023-24 season, where he participated in some pre season games for United, before suffering a recurrence of the problem at Arsenal last month.
“I can confirm, yeah. Licha Martinez will have to undergo surgery,” said the boss in a press conference to preview United’s upcoming UEFA Champions League clash with Galatasaray.
That was the only update given on the 25-year-old before our meeting with the Turkish side, but Ten Hag said on Friday that he was sure ‘fighter’ Martinez would come back stronger.
“That’s really sad, disappointing news. He has to go through the same process and I’m really sorry for him,” he told MUTV’s Mark Sullivan.
“The squad will miss him. As you know, we have more injuries, so we always have to deal with it as a squad. As a club, we have to deal with injuries.
“He has to be strong. He will fight back, I’m sure. He is a character.
“There is still a long season ahead and he will be fit. We have to do our job, to get ourselves in the right position, so he can contribute, and add quality when he returns.”
Martinez is one of five first-team defenders currently unavailable to Ten Hag, along with left-backs Tyrell Malacia, Sergio Reguilon and Luke Shaw, and right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
