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Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez stood out at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite picking up an injury in the final. The left-footed central defender started seven of Argentina\u2019s eight games at the tournament, including the final against Spain. <\/p>\n
Unfortunately, Martinez picked up an injury against The Red<\/em> and had to be substituted late in the first half. La Albiceleste ultimately lost the game 1-0.<\/p>\n The Butcher, though, was included in the Team of the Tournament as a reward for a standout World Cup. Martinez\u2019s passing prowess and aggression were nothing new for United fans, who are used to being mesmerised by his spectacular left foot.<\/p>\n However, the Argentine\u2019s injury is a cause for concern for the Red Devils ahead of a crucial season. <\/p>\n United have started their pre-season without two of their first-team defenders. While Martinez is taking a well-deserved break after his World Cup campaign, Matthijs de Ligt is yet to return to full fitness after picking up an injury last December. <\/p>\n A recent report relayed by The Peoples Person suggests that the Dutch defender is making good progress but may not be available at the start of the new season. In such a scenario, Martinez\u2019s injury has further complicated matters for the Red Devils. <\/p>\n The Argentine spent much of last year on the treatment table after picking up an ACL injury in February 2025. The 28 year old has been plagued with injuries during his time at Old Trafford, prompting the English giants to consider reinforcements this summer. <\/p>\n United were linked with a move for Maxence Lacroix this month, but a recent report suggests that he is on his way to Chelsea. The situation has only added to supporters\u2019 frustration, but a fresh update has now emerged on Martinez\u2019s injury that is certain to improve the mood at Old Trafford. <\/p>\n According to the Manchester Evening News, Martinez\u2019s injury is not serious and he is expected to take part in pre-season once he returns from holiday. The report states: \u201cLisandro Martinez also picked up an injury on the final weekend, limping out of the World Cup final at the end of the first half.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe 28-year-old is now enjoying a break before returning to United. Although he isn\u2019t yet fully aware of the extent of the problem, there is confidence that it isn\u2019t too serious and shouldn\u2019t hold him back for long in pre-season.\u201d<\/p>\n Martinez has already entered the final year of his contract and is yet to sign a new deal. <\/p>\n Martinez\u2019s exploits at the 2026 FIFA World Cup provided a glowing reminder of his importance to Michael Carrick\u2019s plans. While the Argentine\u2019s fitness issues remain a concern for United, INEOS must consider tying him down to a new deal or risk losing him for free next summer. <\/p>\n Featured image by Michael Steele\/Getty Images<\/em><\/p>\n The Peoples Person has been one of the world\u2019s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 1 Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez stood out at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15300,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21327\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Lisandro Martinez Stats: 2026 FIFA World Cup<\/h2>\n
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\n \nMatchday<\/th>\n Date<\/th>\n They will oppose<\/th>\n Result<\/th>\n Position<\/th>\n Goals<\/th>\n Assists<\/th>\n Yellow Cards<\/th>\n Red Cards<\/th>\n Minutes Played<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Group J<\/td>\n 17\/06\/26<\/td>\n Algeria<\/td>\n 3\u20130<\/td>\n CB<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n 90′<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Group J<\/td>\n 22\/06\/26<\/td>\n Austria<\/td>\n 2\u20130<\/td>\n CB<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n 90′<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Group J<\/td>\n 28\/06\/26<\/td>\n Jordan<\/td>\n 3\u20131<\/td>\n On the bench<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Round of 32<\/td>\n 04\/07\/26<\/td>\n Cape Verde<\/td>\n 3\u20132 AET<\/td>\n CB<\/td>\n 1<\/td>\n 1<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n 120′<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Round of 16<\/td>\n 07\/07\/26<\/td>\n Egypt<\/td>\n 3\u20132<\/td>\n CB<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n 90′<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Quarter-Finals<\/td>\n 12\/07\/26<\/td>\n Switzerland<\/td>\n 3\u20131 AET<\/td>\n CB<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n 120′<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Semi-Finals<\/td>\n 16\/07\/26<\/td>\n England<\/td>\n 2\u20131<\/td>\n CB<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n 1<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n 42′<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Final<\/td>\n 20\/07\/26<\/td>\n Spain<\/td>\n 1\u20130 AET<\/td>\n CB<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n 1<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n 44′<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\nSource: Transfermarkt. <\/em><\/p>\nUnited\u2019s defensive troubles<\/h3>\n
Lisandro Martinez injury history with United<\/h2>\n
\n\n
\n \nSeason<\/th>\n Injury<\/th>\n From<\/th>\n Until<\/th>\n Days<\/th>\n Games Missed<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n 26\/27<\/td>\n Hamstring injury<\/td>\n 19\/07\/2026<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n 5 days<\/td>\n –<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 25\/26<\/td>\n Calf injury<\/td>\n 23\/02\/2026<\/td>\n 08\/04\/2026<\/td>\n 45 days<\/td>\n Manchester United, Argentina (8)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 24\/25<\/td>\n Cruciate ligament injury<\/td>\n 03\/02\/2025<\/td>\n 21\/11\/2025<\/td>\n 292 days<\/td>\n Manchester United, Argentina (44)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 24\/25<\/td>\n Back problems<\/td>\n 23\/11\/2024<\/td>\n 25\/11\/2024<\/td>\n 3 days<\/td>\n Manchester United (1)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 23\/24<\/td>\n Calf strain<\/td>\n 02\/04\/2024<\/td>\n 01\/05\/2024<\/td>\n 30 days<\/td>\n Manchester United (6)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 23\/24<\/td>\n Knee injury<\/td>\n 04\/02\/2024<\/td>\n 29\/03\/2024<\/td>\n 55 days<\/td>\n Manchester United, Argentina (9)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 23\/24<\/td>\n Foot injury<\/td>\n 21\/09\/2023<\/td>\n 04\/01\/2024<\/td>\n 106 days<\/td>\n Manchester United, Argentina (26)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 22\/23<\/td>\n Metatarsal fracture<\/td>\n 14\/04\/2023<\/td>\n 30\/06\/2023<\/td>\n 78 days<\/td>\n Manchester United, Argentina (14)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\nSource: Transfermarkt. <\/em><\/p>\nMartinez likely to be part of pre-season<\/h3>\n
Final Thoughts<\/h3>\n
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