Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez has missed over one month of action through injury, but finally, Michael Carrick has some good news.
After an impressive run of form after returning from an ACL injury, Lisandro Martinez was hit by another setback in February.
Martinez was ruled out against Everton, replaced by Leny Yoro, but the Argentine has been a massive miss in terms of his passing.
On the road to recovery, Martinez will miss the Aston Villa game. But now we have a date set for his return.
Lisandro Martinez’s return is expected against Bournemouth
Martinez’s importance to United cannot be understated, and now his return is near.
According to the Daily Mail’s journalist Chris Wheeler, Martinez will be back in contention to play for United’s trip to the Vitality Stadium next Friday night.
-
Premier League
-
Manchester UnitedManchester United
Aston VillaAston Villa
-
-
Premier League
-
BournemouthBournemouth
Manchester UnitedManchester United
-
This comes after Martinez was pictured returning to Carrington earlier this week. However, he was absent from the training footage shared by club media this weekend.
Martinez is therefore probably not at full training pace just yet, but he should make the bench against Bournemouth.
This is the second injury boost this weekend, following Mason Mount’s return to training.
Martinez’s return should see Manchester United get Champions League football
In the absence of Martinez, United have suffered without his world-class ball-playing abilities.
Michael Carrick’s side have struggled in possession, unable to break down opponents without his incisive passing, which was a huge tool for the team in build-up.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  ArsenalArsenal |
30 | 20 | 7 | 3 | 59 | 22 | 37 | 67 |
| 2 |  Manchester CityManchester City |
29 | 18 | 6 | 5 | 59 | 27 | 32 | 60 |
| 3 | Manchester UnitedManchester United |
29 | 14 | 9 | 6 | 51 | 40 | 11 | 51 |
| 4 | Aston VillaAston Villa |
29 | 15 | 6 | 8 | 39 | 34 | 5 | 51 |
| 5 |  ChelseaChelsea |
29 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 53 | 34 | 19 | 48 |
| 6 |  LiverpoolLiverpool |
29 | 14 | 6 | 9 | 48 | 39 | 9 | 48 |
Having Harry Maguire as the left centre-back also narrows the pitch for United, as he favours using his right foot, which stunts the entire balance of the team and explains why the performances without him have been devoid of any creativity.
His absence coincided with the downturn in form and a defeat, so a return should also see improvements in both regards, as we reach crunch time this season.
Carrick will be desperate for Martinez to return.
from United In Focus https://www.unitedinfocus.com/news/when-man-utd-now-expect-lisandro-martinez-to-return-from-injury-date-already-set/