Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni has reflected positively on Lisandro Martinez’s decision to link up with the national team, despite not being called up to take part in their November fixtures.
Manchester United fans are eager to see Lisandro Martinez return to the line-up.
The World Cup winner has been sidelined since early February after sustaining a cruciate ligament injury in his knee during United’s 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace last season.
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That means Ruben Amorim has been without United’s best defender for the majority of his time as head coach, so it will be a huge boost to have Martinez back fit.
Martinez has been training with United’s first team in recent weeks, and fans are hoping that the 27-year-old will return to the line-up in the coming weeks.
United are currently on an unbeaten run of five matches, but after conceding four goals in the last two matches, it’s clear that improvements could be made defensively.
It will be interesting to see if Luke Shaw keeps his place in the back three, or if Amorim will opt for Martinez by switching his nearest competitor for places to left wing-back.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty ImagesLionel Scaloni hails Lisandro Martinez’s dedication to Argentina
Even though Martinez was not called up to the Argentina squad, the United centre-back has travelled with his international teammates to continue his recovery.
Martinez will train with Argentina for the duration of the November international break before returning to Manchester, where he will hope to return to competitive action.
It remains to be seen if Martinez will be available to take on Everton at Old Trafford next weekend, with Amorim not expected to provide further updates on the defender until his pre-match press conference.
Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni has hailed Martinez and Real Madrid midfielder Franco Mastanuono for showing up with the national team, despite not being selected to take part in the upcoming friendly against Angola.
“Lisandro [Martinez] wasn’t going to be there because he hasn’t been playing, but he’s a player we need to see how he’s doing,” Scaloni told El Grafico.
“He’s highly regarded within the group and this is a boost for him.”
Scaloni went on to praise Mastanuono, adding that the gesture from the two players is appreciated.
“We like these things; we like that they want to be here. We appreciate the gesture.”
This means that Martinez is still in Scaloni’s good books, despite spending most of the year out injured.
As a winner in the national team, Martinez simply needs to prove that he can get back to playing regular football, and he should be on the plane to the 2026 World Cup.
Are you excited for World Cup 2026 in the USA? When did Lisandro Martinez last play for Argentina?
Martinez has not played for the Argentina national team since October 2024.
Argentina beat Bolivia 6-0 in a World Cup qualifier, but the World Cup champions have not been able to call upon the United defender since then.
Martinez came on in the 73rd minute, replacing Nicolas Otamendi. Argentina were leading 4-0 at the time but went on to score another two goals thanks to Lionel Messi.