After Martinez: ‘Technically brilliant’ Utd man hobbles off with injury in fresh blow to Amorim

Stretty News

·18. November 2024

After Martinez: ‘Technically brilliant’ Utd man hobbles off with injury in fresh blow to Amorim

The last thing Ruben Amorim needs on his plate ahead of his maiden match in the Manchester United dugout is a lengthy list of injury woes to navigate.

As it stands, the new head coach may be without one integral starter for Sunday’s trip to face Ipswich Town in the form of Lisandro Martinez. He has not featured for Argentina over the international break and instead returned straight to Carrington to undergo assessments on a knock sustained against Leicester City.

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The backline was then dealt another hit when Victor Lindelof hobbled off with an issue inside 25 minutes of Sweden’s clash with Slovakia on Saturday. Exact details on his injury are yet to be confirmed, so fans can expect definitive updates in the build-up to the weekend’s fixture.

Amorim must plan for Martinez and Lindelof’s absences

(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Lindelof, whom counterpart Harry Maguire hailed as a ‘technically gifted’ player, is one of a host of Reds currently seeing out his final seven months at Old Trafford. His contract expires next summer, and with no one-year option available to activate, you can’t imagine INEOS will be rushing to offer him fresh terms – especially given that he’ll be turning 31 the month after his potential exit.

As such, he’s poised to bid farewell to United after eight years. Reinforcements will then be needed to bolster Amorim’s options for 2025/2026, but that’s not to say he doesn’t already have some high-quality talent at his disposal; Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt can combine to make a formidable pairing when in form while 19-year-old Leny Yoro, widely regarded as one of the most exciting defensive prospects in Europe, is waiting to take his chances with both hands when he returns from injury.

Having spent a small portion of his Benfica career with Amorim also in the squad, Lindelof recently said of the new boss’ arrival: “We played together at Benfica, and I’ve heard a lot of good things about him as a coach. It will be a pleasure to see him again.”