Lisandro Martinez is much missed in Manchester United’s team, says head coach Ruben Amorim, but the defender is showing great commitment to the cause as he continues his recovery from injury.
The Argentina international has been sidelined since February, when he underwent surgery on a knee-ligament issue suffered against Crystal Palace. He was pictured this week training on the grass, as he continues his comeback.
“It's really important,”
Ruben said, when asked about the mental impact of Martinez’s return to the pitch.
“When you have that injury, you have that time where you recover a lot of things really hard, then there is the boring part where it looks like you don't go to the next step.
“We miss a lot Licha, especially in this moment, we miss his aggression in everything he does, we miss him.
“But he's always there in every meeting. In training, he sometimes finishes his and stays to watch the training. We need Licha in this team.”
Despite his injury, Martinez has clearly remained an important part of the group, regularly seen in the dressing room before games and travelling with the Reds on tour to the USA, where he continued his rehabilitation alongside his team-mates.
While Martinez is working well towards a return, there was more immediate good news in Amorim’s pre-Chelsea press conference, as he revealed that both Mason Mount and Matheus Cunha are available for selection once again.
The pair suffered injuries in our late-August Premier League victory over Burnley at Old Trafford and missed last weekend’s Manchester derby.
Both showed how crucial they could be for United in the opening games of the season, and similar could be said of Martinez before he was ruled out last winter. The 27-year-old had been enjoying a fantastic run of form, in which he contributed not only in defence, but also with his quality on the ball in attack, scoring in an entertaining draw at Anfield and supplying the assist for Amad’s late winner at Manchester City.
His return would be welcomed by all and everyone wishes him the best as he continues to work hard on his recovery.