Michael Carrick dealt early blow for Villa clash as ‘perfect’ United star now expected to be unavailable | OneFootball

Lisandro Martinez is expected to miss Manchester United’s clash with Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon.

As per MailSport, the Argentine international is taking longer than United had originally hoped to recover from his calf injury.

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Lisandro Martinez: The state of play

Martinez sustained the strain in a training session following the 1-1 draw with West Ham last month and, while staff anticipated he would miss only one fixture, he has been ruled out of three thus far.

It now looks as though he’ll spend the next outing watching on from the stands at Old Trafford alongside fellow absentees Matthijs de Ligt, Patrick Dorgu and Mason Mount.

The 28-year-old, whom teammate Amad Diallo praised for having ‘perfect’ passing abilities, will be chomping at the bit to get back in the side and play an integral role in United’s top-four quest throughout the business end of the season.

However, given his concerning injury record since signing for the club in 2022, you can understand United wanting to approach with caution and avoid rushing him back prematurely.

(Martinez’s record in all competitions for United)

In turn, Leny Yoro will presumably retain his place alongside Harry Maguire.

The pair oversaw wins against both Everton and Crystal Palace, but were on the field for Newcastle United’s winner in the dying embers of their encounter at St. James’ Park, marking the first loss of Michael Carrick’s reign.

How do Villa fare ahead of their M16 trip?

Meanwhile, Villa enter the contest in fourth place, having been overtaken by the Reds following their turbulent run of form.

They suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at the hands of 20th-placed strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers, before being thumped 4-1 at home to Chelsea last Wednesday.

Unai Emery’s side also have midweek action to account for; they take on Lille in France in the first leg of their last-16 Europa League tie on Thursday evening.

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