Lisandro Martinez sends heartfelt message to Man Utd fans following season-ending injury
By Sean Walsh
Lisandro Martinez has spoken publicly for the first time after suffering a season-ending injury.
The defender was withdrawn late into Manchester United's 2-2 draw with Sevilla in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday, falling to the ground and clutching his foot with no one around him.
Though it was confirmed he did not rupture his Achilles as first feared, Martinez did fracture a metatarsal bone in his foot and will not return until the start of the 2023/24 campaign.
It brings to a premature end an impressive debut season at Old Trafford in which the World Cup winner helped United end their six-year trophy drought, winning the Carabao Cup in late February.
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In a post on social media, Martinez said: "Not the way I imagined what's been a very special season would end, but sometimes we face obstacles along the way that we have to overcome to make us stronger and we learn from them.
"I know that I'll be back very soon to go for more. In the meantime, I'll continue to support all my team-mates to achieve our objectives.
"The number of messages and support I've received has been amazing, they're giving me strength and encouragement at this moment. Many, many thanks to you all from the bottom of my heart."
Man Utd's fixtures without Lisandro Martinez
United will play a minimum of 11 games between now and the end of the season, with a further four to be added if they reach the finals of the Europa League and FA Cup.
What's more concerning for the Red Devils now is that their grip on a top-four spot is not as tight as it was a couple of months ago. While Newcastle and Tottenham have faltered recently, Aston Villa and Brighton are making late pushes for the Champions League.
Man Utd's remaining fixtures
- 16/04/2023 - Nottingham Forest v Manchester United (17:30)
- 20/04/2023 - Sevilla v Manchester United (Europa League, 20:00)
- 23/04/2023 - Brighton v Manchester United (FA Cup, 16:30)
- 27/04/2023 - Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United (20:15)
- 30/04/2023 - Manchester United v Aston Villa (14:00)
- 04/05/2023 - Brighton v Manchester United (20:00)
- 07/05/2023 - West Ham United v Manchester United (19:00)
- 13/05/2023 - Manchester United v Wolverhampton Wanderers (15:00)
- 20/05/2023 - A.F.C. Bournemouth v Manchester United (15:00)
- 28/05/2023 - Manchester United v Fulham (16:30)
- TBA - Manchester United v Chelsea
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On this edition of 90min's Definitive European Power Rankings, part of the 90min podcast network, Sean Walsh and Jack Gallagher discuss the top 10 teams from across the continent after a busy week of Champions League and domestic football. If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!