Lisandro Martinez won't be available for Manchester United's mammoth FA Cup final next week but manager Erik ten Hag expects him to be back at their Carrington training ground "in the coming days."
The Argentine centre-back, 25, was forced to undergo surgery after fracturing his metatarsal during United's Europa League quarter-final clash with Sevilla in April. Martinez's absence, coupled with that of centre-back partner Raphael Varane, rocked Ten Hag's side, who after crashing out of Europe a week later risked losing their top-four status before recovering in recent games.
Now the Red Devils boss is looking forward to seeing the influential defender back at base and says that he'll make a full recovery in time for pre-season. Speaking to Viaplay ahead of this Sunday's Premier League finale at home to Fulham, Ten Hag declared: "I am expecting Lisandro Martinez back at the club in the coming days. He will be ready for the start of pre-season."
A few weeks ago, the United manager admitted that there was "completely no chance" Martinez would return for the final against bitter rivals Manchester City at Wembley next Saturday. Varane, however, has already returned and been pivotal.
After going under the knife, Martinez provided a positive update on Instagram, which read: "Everything went really well, thanks to God! Many thanks for all of your messages. Now focusing on the recovery."
Ten Hag signed the 25-year-old from Ajax last summer, having worked with him for two trophy-laden seasons in Amsterdam. The questionable £57million transfer deal no longer looks so suspect, with Martinez proving to be a savvy acquisition and drastically improving the Red Devils' defence, as well as their build-up play thanks to being left-footed and confident on the ball.
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"His playing [style is] tough but not unfair," Ten Hag recently told United's website. "I think he is, especially, he is a defender, and he is defending in a good way – on the ball because it is [about] positioning, anticipation and cooperation. It is sublime. It's extraordinary to work with him and because he has that capacity, and he wants to improve day by day. So, it's nice to see his defending style.
"His attitude – everyone loves it, the fans love it, the defence loves it, and it gives spirit to the team. [When he is] on the ball, he can deal with it. I like him as a player. I like the attitude [that he has], and I hope that we can co-operate for a long time together."
The Red Devils are set to begin their pre-season campaign against Leeds in Oslo on July 12, then facing French side Lyon in Edinburgh a week later before jetting off to the United States for a four-game tour. They're scheduled to play Arsenal, Wrexham, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in North America before next season's Premier League kicks off on August 12.
