18 April 2023 , 06:35
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Lisandro Martinez has confirmed his operation "went really well" with the Manchester United defender on the road to recovery.
He limped off in the Europa League draw against Sevilla last week with his injury seeing his season end prematurely. The Argentine had to go under the knife in order to fix a broken metatarsal with his rehab process expected to take between six - eight weeks.
Martinez has been crucial for Erik ten Hag's side since signing from Ajax in the summer. There were doubts about whether he could cut it in the Premier League given his size, but he's proved the doubters wrong and has posted a positive message on his Instagram.
Alongside a photo of him post-surgery he said: "Everything went really well, thanks to God! Many thanks for all of your messages. Now focusing on the recovery." Martinez's injury will see him miss the FA Cup semi-final, the Europa League knockouts and United's battle to secure a top four spot.
He and Raphael Varane are dealing with issues that have sidelined them, meaning Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof came in for the win over Nottingham Forest. The pair kept a clean sheet and Ten Hag believes the absentees allow the squad to show what strength they have.
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“We have depth in the squad," said the Dutchman. "We have to use the squad – that’s also what we did (on Thursday). In the meantime, you have to win games, so also you need a tactical approach to win the games. But I think we have good players and when we have problems – so injuries, suspensions – we have depth in the squad.”
Maguire and Lindelof were previously the first choice pair under the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer tenure. Maguire retained his spot alongside Varane once the Frenchman arrived. before being ousted for Martinez. The Englishman and the Swede though do have notable experience which Gary Neville has cited as a major plus.
He said on his podcast: "Manchester United can whinge a little bit by saving Varane Martinez have been the best pairing, which they have, that they will miss them, but a lot of clubs will be in worse positions. I don't know how many games Maguire and Lindelof have played together but its a lot. So to have such an experienced pair to come in as your third and fourth choice centre-backs, is a great position to be in."
Martinez had to be carried off the Old Trafford pitch by two of his compatriots last week as United surrendered a 2-0 lead against Sevilla in Europe with their next task trying to see off the Spanish side on their own patch on Thursday night.