Manchester United have confirmed that Lisandro Martínez sustained a cruciate ligament injury in Sunday’s 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace, ruling out the defender until next season.
Martínez was hurt after 82 minutes and had to be taken off on a stretcher after treatment.
A club statement said: “Manchester United can confirm that Lisandro Martínez suffered an injury to his cruciate ligament in Sunday’s game against Crystal Palace. Assessment of the injury is ongoing to determine the appropriate course of treatment and the timescale for his rehabilitation.
“Everyone at Manchester United wishes Lisandro Martínez strength for a successful recovery and we will be supporting him every step of the way.”
The injury came nearly a year to the day after Martínez sustained medial collateral ligament damage to a knee during the 3-0 win over West Ham at Old Trafford on 4 February. He returned for the 1-1 draw at Brentford on 30 March but was forced off with a calf problem that ruled him out for another six weeks.
Ruben Amorim said: “He’s going to be out for a while. We don’t know the extent of the injury but it’s going to take time.” United’s head coach also said it was appropriate to be “careful” with Luke Shaw because the defender had a “small issue in a different area from the last injury”.
Armorim accepted he would be blamed, after not bringing in experienced players in the winter window, if results do not improve. “That is clear, is also exciting,” he said. “I knew when I chose this profession that you have the risk of results and I knew when I came here I look at the schedule, I look at the team, my decision changing everything in the middle of the season without new signings is a danger for a coach.
“But I have a clear idea of what I want to do and I take these risks because in the end it’s going to pay off. But I’m not naive. I said that many times, this is a sport of results and we are in a difficult situation.”
On Friday United, 13th in the Premier League, host Leicester in the FA Cup fourth round.
