Lisandro Martinez suffered a knee injury in Manchester United’s(AP)
Manchester United have received a positive boost with Lisandro Martinez’s injury not as bad as first feared and the defender will not require knee surgery.
Martinez was forced off in the second half of United’s 3-0 victory over West Ham at Old Trafford on Sunday after landing awkwardly during a challenge for the ball with Vladimir Coufal.
The Argentina international had only recently returned in January from a foot injury which had kept him out for four months and there are now fears that the defender may face an extended spell on the sidelines.
However, TyC Sports reporter Gaston Edul, who has a close relationship with several members of the Argentina squad, claims that Martinez has only suffered a sprained collateral ligament.
Edul reports that Martinez will be out between six to eight weeks, but crucially, the 26-year-old will not require surgery.
In a statement later on Monday evening, United confirmed the news: ‘Lisandro Martinez has sustained an injury to the medial collateral ligament in his knee and is expected to be out of action for at least eight weeks.
‘We all wish Licha a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back on the pitch later in the season.’
Lisandro Martinez will not require surgery on his knee injury (PA)
When asked about Martinez’s injury after the game, Erik ten Hag said: ‘I can’t tell the detail, but it seems bad.
‘We have to wait for the detail and making the right diagnosis in the coming days. We’ll see what is going on. In this moment, we’re very sad about this but, hopefully, it’s not too bad. We can only pray.
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‘We have to find out in the next days what is the diagnosis. It’s very bad for him and very bad for the team. He’s just returning and is a very important part for us. Last season, when he fell out, I felt our performances dropped a level. We have to avoid that because we have a good squad and centre-backs who can fill in. But he definitely brings spirit to the team, apart from his footballing abilities.
‘It’s disappointing for the team and especially for Licha. It’s so frustrating, he worked hard to return now for two games. It looks like he has to sit some games out injured again but let’s stay positive at this moment. Hopefully, it’s not too bad but we have to wait.’
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