Can Licha play in midfield?

Our no.6 has been out of action since early February, following an injury he sustained against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford.

Martinez is now nearing a return to first-team action, as seen in our latest training footage captured earlier today.

The Argentina international has primarily been fielded as a centre-back for the Reds, although he has occasionally played on the left side of defence.

He was, at times, fielded in the middle of the park for previous club Ajax, and Ruben was asked about that potentially being the case here.

Scroll down to read his answer on the subject and much more from Carrington...

Hi Ruben, good to see you. Benjamin Sesko, let's start there, what's the update with him?
"He is going to stay out for a few weeks, I don't know how long, but it is not that serious. We have to be careful with him, he is going to recover, he is doing the recovery and is feeling better. So in a few weeks I expect to have Ben [Sesko]."
 
How's the rest of the squad looking ahead of the game on Monday? Is Mainoo and Maguire fit - what's the situation?
"[Harry] Maguire is not ready. Kobbie [Mainoo] didn't train today but I think tomorrow we could see Kobbie, so we will see."

Do you know roughly when Benjamin is going to be back and will that cut across when Amad and Bryan [Mbeumo] go to the Africa Cup of Nations?
"I think it is more or less going to be at the same time. I don't want to say for sure, [but] when they are going to AFCON, I expect to have Ben back."
 
Have you been told yet roughly when those three players [Amad, Noussair Mazraoui and Mbeumo] will go to AFCON?
"No, we have the rules, when we have to release the players, so we will see. We are doing our job to try and maintain the players a little bit longer, but it is not just in our hands. We need to respect that, but we will try to do everything to protect the club, protect the players and protect the national team."
 
Sorry when is it that they are supposed to go?
"I think it is two weeks before the start [of the tournament]. So we will try to arrange something with the federations, but we need to respect their rules in this case."

Are you concerned then for the Wolves game that you won't have everyone available?
"It is a concern but we already knew, but it is an opportunity for other players. We also have the Under-21s and we need to also send a message in that time, so we will see. But of course it is not ideal because they are so important in our team and we don't have a long squad. But again our Academy is here for this moment and we will be ready."
 
You only face three top-10 teams in the next ten games, how much of an opportunity is this run of games for you?
"It doesn't matter, in our league, it doesn't matter. The table it doesn't matter as everything is so tight, that is irrelevant. If you know the history of our team, we never know where the difficult games are. That is completely irrelevant in the Premier League."
 
We saw Lisandro Martinez in training again this morning - do we know how close he is to being match fit? I am also curious could he be an option in midfield potentially, going forward?
"I can't say. I think a smart, intelligent football player can play in a lot of positions, but it is not the right position for him. He needs more time to work there as he is not working there [currently]. But in one emergency he can play [there]. I am not thinking about that. With Licha [Lisandro Martinez], he is becoming close to be ready to play. Of course, we need to be careful as he is going to struggle in the first [few] minutes. He is clearly in a better position compared to two weeks ago."

I wanted to ask another player in his position, Luke Shaw. When the likes of [Noussair] Mazraoui and Amad go away to AFCON, do you see Luke Shaw as a possible option to play at left-wing back or will he only play centre-back for you?
"Yes, he can play there. It is the load that the player does in that position is a little bit different. If you are doing that on a daily basis, he is more prepared to play in that position. Of course, he can play there, he is a smart player and he is fit at the moment, so I think it is an option."
 
I know you've been asked about anniversaries a lot recently, but on Monday it is a year since your first game. What do you remember about the build-up to that Ipswich game? Obviously you came to a new country, trying to get your players to play in a new way of playing in two or three days, it must have been very hectic?
"It was [that] everything came really fast. The first thinking was about thinking the environment is completely different in the Premier League and I was excited with that. Right away I knew we would struggle with some things! But it was that feeling of, yes, this is the best league in the world. It is maybe the best club in the world, but at the same time it is a big job and it is going to require a lot of work."
 
When you look back at what you saw on that pitch at Portman Road a year ago, compared to what you would expect to see at Old Trafford on Monday, there must be massive differences in how the team are now playing and the way they behave?
"I think we are showing that, but the important thing is that it doesn't matter what we did in the recent games, we cannot forget that we started in that point to suffer a lot last year. We have to take that into account and to play every game like it is the last one or the first one. If you ask me, yes, I expect a team [now] with more control and with more dominance, playing better football and the most important thing is we are more competitive in every way."