Manchester United are hoping Lisandro Martínez will be fit by the end of March after discovering the injury that forced the defender off against West Ham was not a torn anterior cruciate ligament as feared.
Martínez suffered an injury to the medial ligament in his right knee and does not require surgery. United’s aim is to have him back after the international break next month, which means he will miss at least seven games; If the team reaches the FA Cup quarter-finals, this increases to eight.
In a statement released on Monday, the club said: “Lisandro has sustained an injury to the medial ligament in his knee and is expected to be out of action for at least eight weeks.”
Although the news is better than it seemed, with Erik ten Hag saying on Sunday that the injury was “seemingly bad” and a “disaster” for Martínez, the difficult season continues for the Argentina international.
Martínez was out from late September to mid-January due to a foot injury; the game against West Ham was only his fourth game back and his tenth appearance this season.
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Meanwhile, Alejandro Garnacho, who scored twice in the 3-0 win over the Hammers at Old Trafford, urged United to use their momentum to set their sights on the Champions League places.
“I always try to help by either scoring or providing assists,” he said. “I don’t care if Rasmus (Højlund) or (Marcus) Rashford scores, I think we have to win and be in the top six again.”
