Lisandro Martinez injury leaves Amorim in concern as Manchester United slump to another home defeat in the league.
Lisandro Martinez was stretchered off with what looked like a serious knee injury as the Red Devils suffered a 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace at home.
The Argentine defender suffered the injury late in the second half when his knee buckled at a awkward angle in a physical battle with Palace winger Ismaila Sarr. Martinez immediately signalled to the bench that he would be unable to continue. He was in tears while being stretchered off from the pitch.
The injury to the Argentine comes at a very inopportune time for both player and club. Martinez has been one of the consistent performers in the past few weeks and is one of the leaders in the dressing room.
Losing Martinez ahead of what is fast shaping up to be a season-defining run for Manchester United could be a massive gut punch to Ruben Amorim, who admits that the situation with the center-back is “serious”.
“We are going to see in the next few days but I think it is a serious situation.” Said the head coach. “He is not only a great player but a strong character in the dressing room. He felt it and when you are a player, you know when it is something serious. We are here to help him in this difficult moment like he has helped us.”
The question now arises that what will United do to offset the loss of Martinez. As the left-sided center-back, Martinez is one of the few defenders who can play line-breaking passes. That makes him able to turn defence to attack in an instant. He has also developed something of an attacking threat as well. Goals against Liverpool and Fulham have highlighted his newfound shooting prowess.
While Matthijs de Ligt was called on to deputise for the Argentine, the long-term spot is up for grabs. Frenchman Leny Yoro has played in that role before, while new signing Ayden Heaven also plays the same position. However, he is still a teenager and has only 10 minutes of experience playing for the first-team. Fellow new signing Patrick Dorgu can also play the position, but he is expected to play as a wing-back.
It remains to be seen what does Ruben Amorim have up his sleeve to tackle this latest obstacle in a job that has already seen him face many obstacles at once.