Manchester United host Aston Villa at Old Trafford in a tense Premier League clash on Sunday – Michael Carrick will be without key players following setback
Michael Carrick will be without Lisandro Martinez against Aston Villa (Image: Getty Images)
Manchester United will miss Lisandro Martinez’s game against Aston Villa this weekend after suffering a stumble in training. Martinez has missed the last three Premier League games with a calf injury and is unlikely to feature against Villa.
The centre-back revived his partnership with Harry Maguire to great effect in the first five games of the Michael Carrick era. He was returning to the team after being sidelined for 10 months due to a cruciate ligament injury.
Unfortunately, the Argentina international suffered another problem in training last month and subsequently missed the wins against Everton and Crystal Palace, as well as the defeat against Newcastle. Carrick has brought Lenny Yoro into the squad in place of Martinez for these games, and the young Frenchman will keep his place in Sunday’s home game against Villa.
The Daily Mail reported that Martinez suffered a “mild reaction” after returning to Carrington’s practice field and is not at risk this weekend. It is understood the issue is not serious, but Carrick and his coaches do not want to rush Martinez back and risk further setbacks.
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Maguire and Yoro are the only two eligible senior central defenders, with Martinez sidelined along with Matthijs de Ligt. Youngster Aiden Haven will be on the bench as the only reserve centre-back on Sunday.
De Ligt has been out since November with a hip injury. He is expected to return soon after suffering a minor setback last month. The Dutch player is working hard to regain his fitness with a view to earning a spot on the Dutch national team for this summer’s World Cup.
Carrick are also currently without Patrick Dorg, Mason Mount and Nouser Mazrui. Sunday’s game against Villa is crucial for United’s chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League, with Villa level on 51 points but fourth on goal difference.
Lisandro Martinez out with calf injury
“It’s an important game, it’s one we’re looking forward to,” Carrick said after the 2-1 defeat at Newcastle. “We have now put ourselves in a very good position and we hope to build on the positive results over the coming months.
“We’re coming back from losing games, but it just so happens that we’ve seen just about everyone lose in the last few weeks. So that’s what this league brings and we’re just putting things into perspective and understanding that we can be a little bit better.”
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