Earlier this month, United confirmed that both Martinez and Victor Lindelof would be ruled out for a month after the pair sustained injuries during the club’s 1-1 draw against Brentford on 30th March.

On that occasion, Martinez – who had just returned from another long-term physical setback that had ruled him out of action for four months – was thrust into the action at the Gtech Community Stadium as a substitute.

United explained that the World Cup winner picked up a calf strain in a training session that took place in the aftermath of the disappointing draw vs. the Bees.

Martinez has been unable to nail down a consistent run of matches due to multiple issues. So far this term, the Argentine has made just 11 appearances across all competitions.

To say he has been sorely missed would be an understatement. With Jonny Evans, Raphael Varane and Willy Kambwala also out recovering from injuries, Ten Hag has been forced to deploy a centre-back pairing of Harry Maguire and Casemiro in recent matches.

According to Sky Sports, Martinez is now back in team training at Carrington as he steps up his fitness with an eye on playing a part in United’s next game against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

He was not the only one welcome sight at the Red Devils’ training complex. Rashford also took part in the sessions.

Marcus Rashford and Lisandro Martinez are back in training with Manchester United pic.twitter.com/VKWAzhGN3U

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) April 30, 2024

Rashford has not played for United since their humiliating FA Cup quarter-final win on penalties over Championship outfit Coventry City.

In that match, the England international was poor and after the final whistle, it emerged that he left Wembley while limping.

With him unavailable to Ten Hag for selection, Garnacho has started on the left flank in subsequent clashes vs. Sheffield United and Burnley.

No doubt Rashford will be hoping to finish what has been a disappointing season for him on a more positive note.

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Manchester United have decided to keep Victor Lindelof and Lisandro Martinez at the club despite their ongoing injury problems.

Martinez has been plagued by numerous serious injuries over the last twelve months and was frustratingly ruled out yet again, after just returning to action at the end of March. However, not many would consider the Argentine’s place in the squad at risk just yet, as he performed wonderfully in his first season at Old Trafford and certainly deserves the chance to prove he can stay fit next year.

Lindelof’s case is not so clear-cut.

The Swedish captain has played 27 times this season for the Red Devils but like so many of the team’s defenders, has suffered from on and off knocks.

Whilst United’s problems at the back have stemmed from poor tactics and out of form players, the 31 different defensive combinations they have had to play in the Premier League this season have also majorly contributed to the defensive mess.

As a result of the centre back’s injury issues, it was assumed by many that he may be on his way out of Old Trafford. Consequently, he has been linked to numerous clubs across Europe such as AC Milan and Sevilla.

With the defender’s contract running out next summer, this would be the moment to sell the player to get any sort of fee for him, as next January he could begin to negotiate a free transfer to clubs outside of the United Kingdom.

In spite of this, Football Insider report that sources have told them, “Man United have decided to keep both Victor Lindelof and Lisandro Martinez at the club despite their persistent injury problems”.

“The decision has been made by new Red Devils part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS organisation ahead of the 2024/25 season as the players have been assessed as “important” by the new regime.

It was also relayed by The Peoples Person yesterday that INEOS had decided to let Varane leave on a free transfer to free up wage space for the summer window.

In this context, the new owners are probably hesitant to lose more experience and being slightly younger and on significantly lower wages, will appeal to the new hierarchy. Furthermore, the Swede is more likely to accept a bench role than the bigger-named former Real Madrid defender.

United supporters will be hoping for new centre backs recruitments as Jarred Branthwaite, Gleison Bremer and Jean-Clair Todibo have all been continuously linked to the club.

Therefore if Lindelof was to stay as fourth or fifth choice centre back, it could be a smart piece of business by the new owners.

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Manchester United’s 2023-2024 season is in danger of going down as one of the worst in the club’s recent history.

The Red Devils lie in sixth place in the league, 11 points off teams in the Champions League places and are in serious danger of being overtaken by both West Ham and Newcastle. An eighth place finish would represent the club’s worst league finish since 1990, when they finished 13th but did manage to win the FA Cup – a potentially startling symmetry to this season.

The United defence has been incredibly suspect all season as they shipped 15 goals in just six Champions League group games, crashing out in last place in December. What’s more, no team in Europe’s top five leagues has faced more shots on goal than the Red Devils in 2024.

Of course, the players and manager need to have a long hard look in the mirror when this season is done and dusted, but there is another major reason behind this season’s pathetic displays – a scarcely believable list of absentees through injury, especially in defence.

Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw have missed the majority of the season and they are arguably the club’s two most valuable defenders, not just in defending but also in Erik ten Hag’s build up play.

In fact, all the backline has been missing at some point during the season, resulting in an incredible 31 different back four combinations during the season. This was highlighted by Willy Kambwala and Harry Maguire being the only two fit centre backs to play in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool.

Man Utd have started 31 different back lines in 43 matches this season:

1.AWB, Varane, Martinez, Shaw
2.AWB, Varane, Martinez, Dalot
3.AWB, Lindelof, Martinez, Dalot
4.Dalot, Lindelof, Martinez, Reguilon
5.AWB, Lindelof, Martinez, Reguilon
6.Dalot, Lindelof, Evans, Reguilon… pic.twitter.com/UTppmMPR8S

— Alice Abrahams (@AliceTalksFooty) April 7, 2024

When analysing the names, it can be seen that the only real consistent in the defensive line as of late has been Diogo Dalot and perhaps it is no surprise that he has been enjoying arguably the best season of his career, highlighted by his fine display versus Liverpool at the weekend.

The Portuguese international has played 26 times in 31 Premier League matches. However, nobody else has been able to play for any considerable stretch of time in the first eleven.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka has played 13 times, Raphael Varane 16, Victor Lindelof 11, Harry Maguire 14 times and even the 36 year old Jonny Evans has started nine times and been subbed on many more. This means that many players have had decent game time, but really no central defender has been able to consolidate their place in the team, never mind having two continuously available to form an actual partnership.

The left back is the most ridiculous situation where Tyrell Malacia has not played all season and Shaw has only played 11 matches with a few of them being in the centre back position.

In total, there have been six different left backs used this season with only two of them being recognised left full backs, Shaw and Sergio Reguilon. Sofyan Amrabat, Victor Lindelof, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot have all had to deputise in the unfamiliar role.

Ten Hag perplexed fans once again during his post-match press conference when he claimed his side played very well despite dominated in terms of shots and possession against their arch-rivals.

However, one comment he made did make a whole lot of sense. Without being able to field anything close to a consistent back four, it is normal that they players can’t build up routines or patterns to understand one another.

There is much talk about the pursuit of sporting directors and the upcoming transfer window but perhaps the most important piece of business INEOS carry out will be connected to the ongoing investigation of the massive failings of the current medical team employed at Old Trafford.

It is vital to not let any player or manager off the hook but at the same time it is worth considering, could any team actually be successful defensively under such ridiculous circumstances?

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