Lisandro Martinez will hope it’s third time lucky when he returns for Manchester United’s run-in.
The defender is set to be out for eight weeks after sustaining a knee injury against West Ham on Sunday. It’s his third prolonged injury absence in under a year and is a huge blow to Erik ten Hag as he tries to steer United into the Champions League places.
Martinez is a key lieutenant for Ten Hag, having followed the manager from Ajax. His position in the defence is pivotal to United’s style of play and the centre-back could now be absent for nine first-team fixtures across the Premier League and FA Cup.
He’s already missed 34 matches since signing for United through two separate injuries but the combative 26-year-old has twice returned to the coalface in fine fettle. He will hope his next comeback is more permanent.
Either way, Martinez won’t be a despondent figure on the sidelines. He’ll knuckle down with his trademark tenacity to get back to full fitness at the first available opportunity while he’s already outlined how he can use an enforced absence to build his knowledge in other areas.
“It is part of football also and we need to accept it, be humble,” he said, speaking in a club interview in December while sidelined. “It is a time to work even harder, in the gym, improving, doing analysis, doing tactics, in the things that we can improve on the pitch.
“As a person as well, I love to improve that part because, for everybody, if you improve then automatically you will see it on the pitch.”
Martinez will be supported by the medical staff at United and his teammates, as well as friends and family. And the World Cup winner is well-versed in overcoming quickfire injuries having only been fully fit for a number of weeks at the start of the campaign between his two absences.
“It is tough, so tough,” he added of that time. “Especially when you had two injuries, almost six or seven months, it is really, really tough. But I feel strong from my mind. I get really good values from my family, to never give up, so this has only made me even stronger. It is tough, so tough, but there are no excuses.”