Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez has reportedly cut short his international duty to start training under new boss Ruben Amorim.
The Red Devils defender is said to have shown his dedication by declining an offer to stay with his family in South America until next week. Excitement is building at Carrington as Amorim and five new coaches are expected to begin work on the training pitch as early as Monday.
Bruno Fernandes has already left Portugal duty early after contributing to a 5-1 victory against Poland on Friday. It’s suggested that Martinez has done the same in a bid to impress new head coach Amorim, who will be deep into planning for his first game in charge.
According to the Daily Mail, the 26-year-old had permission to stay with his family for the rest of the international break. The next such period isn’t until March.
He was selected to face Peru and Paraguay in 2026 World Cup qualifying before being ruled out due to an injury he sustained in last Sunday’s 3-0 victory against Leicester City.
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However, Martinez has chosen to prioritise meeting Erik ten Hag’s successor over spending more time with his family ahead of a busy four-month fixture schedule. The report adds that Martinez travelled back to Manchester on Saturday, likely intending to report to United’s training base two days later when Amorim is set to start overseeing sessions, reports the Express.
His fitness is currently in question for the upcoming match against Ipswich Town next weekend. This could potentially leave Amorim with only two fit centre-backs at Portman Road.
This could pose a problem, as he has been widely expected to implement his 3-4-3 system at United from the start. The statuses of Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire, and Victor Lindelof are also uncertain after the latter was forced to withdraw due to an issue during Sweden’s game on Saturday.
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Martinez is reportedly scheduled to undergo tests as soon as he returns to Carrington. United will aim to determine the severity of his discomfort following a knock to his lower back.
The Red Devils’ No.6 is anticipated to play a key role in Amorim’s three-at-the-back strategy, having formed a promising partnership with Matthijs de Ligt this season.
However, the Portuguese coach may need to postpone his preferred formation to accommodate his availability. Despite this, Martinez’s traits suggest he won’t easily rule himself out of action, and it would be surprising if he misses the Ipswich match.