On Monday, Lisandro Martinez, a defender for Manchester United, underwent successful surgery for a broken metatarsal. In his right foot, the World Cup winner suffered a fifth metatarsal fracture during last week's Europa League match against Sevilla. Given that the injury typically takes six to eight weeks to recover, he has been declared out for the remainder of the campaign.
Following his transfer from Ajax, Martinez has been one of United's standout performances this season. He has been nominated for the Premier League team of the season and was eager to end the season with Champions League action.
United will be greatly affected by his absence, as Raphael Varane is also unable to play due to injury.
Martinez wrote on Instagram last week: "Not the way I imagined what's been a very special season would end, but sometimes we face obstacles along the way that we have to overcome to make us stronger and we learn from them. I know that I'll be back very soon to go for more. 'In the meantime, I'll continue to support all my team-mates to achieve our objectives."
I've had a tremendous amount of messages and support, and right now they're giving me courage and inspiration. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all very much.
Their starting center backs, Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, have been reinstated, but the team is aggressively looking to sign a new defender for the summer.
Axel Disasi of Monaco and Kim Min-Jae of Napoli are two players they have talked about, and they also anticipate offloading others like Eric Bailly, who had a rough time while on loan at Marseille.
As one of the top center backs currently competing in Europe, Kim Min-Jae has a £40 million clause that is activated for a brief period in the summer.
Although Paris St. Germain also wants to combine the 26-year-old South Korean with Milan Skriniar, who they are acquiring from Inter Milan, Liverpool, Tottenham, and Newcastle are also interested in the player and have spoken to his representation.
Harry Maguire tipped to take advantage
Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez would have anticipated playing in both halves when Manchester United was drawn against Sevilla in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. But as of right now, neither defender will take part in the second leg match.
The starting center backs for Erik ten Hag suffered injuries in the first leg's tie with Sevilla last week. At halftime of the match at Old Trafford, Varane was substituted due to an unspecified injury, while Martinez was eventually taken out with a fractured metatarsal.
The Reds were dealt a serious setback when it was revealed that the World Cup winner will miss the rest of the season, especially after his spectacular debut season with United.
On the other hand, his partner has been absent for "a few weeks." The key Frenchman will miss the second leg match against Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium, but it is unknown just how long he will be out.
Ten Hag's options are constrained because Varane and Martinez aren't in the game. The Dutchman has occasionally used left-back Luke Shaw at center back this season, while Casemiro has also played in that position. The Brazilian star is unlikely to switch back to defense given United's shortage of available midfielders and Bruno Fernandes' suspension, but Shaw might make an appearance in that position. Due to an injury, the England international was out from the 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.
As a result, it is anticipated that United would start Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof at the center of the defense against Sevilla. The duo preserved a clean sheet at the City Ground at the weekend, and if the Reds want to advance to the Europa League semi-finals, they must do the same on Thursday night.
It will most likely be Maguire's 15th start of the season. The 30-year-old will be eager to make up for his own goal from the draw last week and aid United in defeating their Spanish opponents. After a difficult start against Forest at the weekend, he was able to recover
However, the England defender will need to perform well in what will likely be his most crucial start of the campaign with the Reds' spot in Europe on the line.
Although he has made seven Premier League starts, he was not chosen for the majority of the supposedly "bigger games." He was benched, for instance, for the Premier League contests against Newcastle (away), Arsenal (away), and both home and away matches of Liverpool. He was a substitute in the Europa League matches against Barcelona (both legs) and Real Betis (first leg), but he didn't start either leg of the semi-final or the championship.
The defender did play the whole 90 minutes in the FA Cup quarterfinal triumph over Fulham, but with United down to nine men for the final 20 or so minutes, the Reds ultimately won easily despite Ten Hag's team needing to come from behind.
When questioned about it, Maguire has been evasive, although most observers anticipate the former Leicester player to leave in the summer. Despite his inconsistent performance this season, the club sees him as a sellable asset. Although the center back has played in 27 matches in all competitions this season, the upcoming match against Sevilla is crucial for the defender.
The defender did play the whole 90 minutes in the FA Cup victory over Fulham, but even though Ten Hag's squad needed to come from behind, United ultimately won handily since they were down to nine men for the final 20 or so minutes.
Even though most fans believe the former Leicester player would move in the summer, Harry Maguire has been evasive when asked about it. The team views him as a sellable asset despite his patchy performance this season. Despite playing in 27 games across all competitions this season, the center back will need to be at his best against Sevilla.
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