Casemiro: Why I love Licha the ‘soldier’
When Casemiro’s interview about his gym routine was interrupted by the crashing sounds of Lisandro Martinez grafting to get back to full fitness, our legendary Brazilian midfielder took the opportunity to pay tribute to his friend.
Martinez is on the final stretch of rehabilitation after undergoing knee surgery in February.
As United fans know, Licha has an innate passion and fight in the way he plays, and that translates to his training mentality, too, including in injury recovery.
Casemiro was keen to praise Martinez for his work ethic.
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“Licha is on the final straight,” the 32-year-old explained, smiling at the slamming noise of Martinez working out on one of the Carrington gym’s many machines.
“He is a soldier who works so hard. He is always in the gym working hard. He is a machine that works so hard. He is one of those players that loves to work hard.
“It is a pleasure to have him here, he works so much. We arrived [today] at 9am and it is now 4pm and he continues working.
“He has the experience to know when to work hard. I will be so glad for his return. It’s not just me — everyone is happy — because he is an essential player at the club that works so hard.”
Reds all over will be hoping to see Martinez’s return to full training and matches go well. The World Cup-winning defender has shown his quality for United time and time again, and brings a certain attitude to the side which is hard to replicate, as head coach Ruben Amorim alluded to recently.
“We miss a lot Licha, especially in this moment, we miss his aggression in everything he does, we miss him,” Ruben said, in September.
“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.”
Martinez’s desire to remain a key part of the group has been clear. He has regularly been seen in the dressing room before and after games, both this season and last, and travelled with the Reds on tour to the USA, where he continued his rehabilitation alongside his team-mates.
That continued integration will no doubt ease his return into the squad, as he seeks to make an impact on United’s season.