Cruciate knee ligament injury for Man Utd’s Martinez

The knee injury that left Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez out for the rest of the season is expected to keep him out.

The 27-year-old was taken off on a stretcher late on Sunday when Crystal Palace beat United at home, which Ruben Amorim called a “serious situation.”

Manchester United stated on Thursday that the injury is still being evaluated in order to determine the best course of action and the rehabilitation schedule.

“Everyone at Manchester United wishes Lisandro Martinez strength for a successful recovery and we will stand by him every step of the way.”

Martinez’s absence will be a blow to Amorim as he works to improve the Old Trafford side’s fortunes.

After falling to Palace, United’s seventh home defeat of the season, placed them 13th in the Premier League.

“Licha]Martinez] is a difficult situation”, said Amorim, speaking before his side’s FA Cup fourth-round tie at home against Leicester City on Friday.

“He’s going to be out for a while. We don’t know the extent of the injury but it’s an injury that’s going to take time”.

The news comes at a time when Luke Shaw’s fitness is again in doubt after almost 12 months of playing for United.

Martinez is the tenth Premier League player to have an anterior knee ligament injury (ACL) this season, according to research from Ben Dinnery of Premier Injuries.

In their Europa League victory over Elfsborg, Tottenham announced this week that defender Radu Dragusin had injured his ACL in his right knee.

He is expected to miss at least six months, though some ACL injuries can keep players out of action for up to a year.

Seven of this season’s 10 ACLs have come this year, with five players having suffered a similar injury in January.

There were nine during the 2023-24 campaign, while Emiliano Buendia and Wesley Fofana suffered ACL injuries in pre-season before.

In a season, there were 12 ACLs when the total was last reached double figures in 2016 and 2017.