Lisandro Martinez’s commitment to the Manchester United cause was on full show on Wednesday as he made his return to action.
The Argentine appeared in the first half of the Red Devils’ pre-season clash with rivals Leeds in Oslo. It was the first time Martinez had donned a United shirt since breaking a metatarsal in his foot.
That caused the defender to miss the final nine Premier League fixtures of the 2022/23 campaign, whilst he was also absent for the FA Cup final defeat against Manchester City. He appears ready for action for the new campaign though having been afforded 45 minutes in Norway.
Speaking after the game, United boss Ten Hag was full of praise for his defender. He said: “Licha was, in the last part of the season, injured, and you still can see he's now on his way back. So he worked very hard during the summer and now he's returned for the first time back in the game.
"But you see he's a little bit lacking in rhythm but you also see Rapha and Licha fitting very well together, they're very solid."
Whilst Martinez garnered praise for his commitment, it appears that the defender has gone to the next level to return before competitive action returns. He returned to the club’s Carrington training base a week earlier than scheduled in order to get fit.
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That saw him cut short his holiday, whilst he also became the first player to officially meet the club’s only signing of the summer so far, Mason Mount. Martinez took to Twitter on June 29 to share a photo of him returning to Carrington, with the caption: “So happy to be back here.”
Martinez made 45 appearances in all competitions across his debut campaign at Old Trafford after arriving from Ajax. His performances helped the Red Devils win the Carabao Cup, as well as secure a place in the Champions League.
Following their victory over Leeds, Ten Hag will now turn his attention to next week’s showdown with Lyon. He will have a number of other stars to call upon as United’s international clutch of players return to training following extended breaks.
Asked when those players could return, he replied: “I think Saturday. It’s very vital [to have them back] but those players, most of them will not show up in Edinburgh as well as they first need time to have a good training week.
“They had days off, relaxation. Those players played the most games last season so they needed that rest.
“And then we need to bring them back but we have to do it carefully. You can’t go from zero to 100. At the end of last season, we didn’t always have out best starting XI, so that is what you want to achieve.”
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