Lisandro Martinez is expected to be sidelined until at least April, Manchester United have confirmed.
The central defender suffered a nasty knee injury during the second half of the Red Devils’ 3-0 victory over West Ham on Sunday, leading to him hobbling off and heading straight down the tunnel.
Despite trying to soldier on, Martinez’s prospects didn’t look great as the Argentine star looked distraught on the Old Trafford pitch when awaiting treatment.
After having the injury assessed, the Red Devils have now confirmed the extent of his setback, with Martinez ruled out for at least eight weeks.
A statement from Man United said: “Lisandro Martinez has sustained an injury to the medial collateral ligament in his knee and is expected to be out of action for at least eight weeks.
“The Argentine defender left the field in the 71st minute of our 3-0 win over West Ham United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
“We all wish Licha a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back on the pitch later in the season.”
It’s been a hugely frustrating season for the defender who only returned to action in January after a troublesome foot problem.
Having missed 22 matches prior to that, Martinez returned against Tottenham in the FA Cup third round, but now looks set for an extended spell on the sidelines.
Speaking after the match with West Ham, Erik ten Hag confirmed: “It seems bad, we have to wait and make the right diagnosis.
“In this moment we are very sad, hopefully it is not too bad but we can only pray. It looks like he has to sit some games out injured again.”
Losing Martinez will be a big blow with Man United currently sitting in sixth position and hoping to gatecrash the top four before the end of the season.