Three ways Manchester United could line up without Lisandro Martinez after injury blow
Manchester United fear they could be without centre-back Lisandro Martinez for the rest of the season with a suspected knee injury.
The Argentine international was forced off on a stretcher in the closing stages of Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford. Martinez was left in tears following the innocuous tangle with Palace ace Ismaila Sarr.
United are yet to confirm the extent of Martinez's injury but the Manchester Evening News understands he might not play again this season. The Reds are likely to provide an official diagnosis ahead of Friday night's FA Cup clash with Leicester City.
Martinez, 27, had recently been enjoying his best run of form this season, establishing himself as a key fixture on the left of United's back-three. He provided the assist for Bruno Fernandes' winner against Rangers last month before scoring a winner of his own against Fulham three days later.
Losing a player of such importance leaves United head coach Ruben Amorim having to fill a huge void in defence. Below, MEN Sport has looked at three solutions the Portuguese chief could consider during the former Ajax man's absence:
Martinez is United's only senior left-footed centre-back, meaning his period of absence is going to create a headache for Amorim in more ways than one. He offers United balance on the left of the back-three and with no like-for-like replacement of a senior level available, the Reds risk becoming unbalanced.
United strengthened their centre-back pool on Saturday, swooping for youngster Ayden Heaven from Arsenal. Despite being signed to go straight into the first-team squad, he has only ever made one competitive appearance at senior level - and that was a substitute appearance that amounted to just ten