Ruben Amorim Gives Update On Lisandro Martinez Ahead Of United’s Trip To Forest

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim says Lisandro Martinez will not be rushed back into the team, even though the defender is desperate to make his return against Nottingham Forest this weekend.

Naija News reports that Martinez has been sidelined since February after suffering a cruciate ligament injury during United’s home defeat to Crystal Palace. The Argentine centre-back, who joined from Ajax in 2022, has battled a string of injuries that have limited him to just 52 Premier League starts.

Now back in training, Martinez is eager to play, but Amorim wants to take a measured approach to his recovery.

“He wants to go to this one,” Amorim said. “He’s not going to this one, he is going to take time. He has started training with us, but we had to change some things in the exercise for him, so he’s going to get better slowly.”

The United boss, who has often spoken about his team’s lack of leadership, believes simply having Martinez around the squad again has already lifted the mood.

“He gives us that edge in every training session,” Amorim added. “That is also really good for us.”

Meanwhile, Saturday’s meeting at the City Ground will be the first time Amorim faces Sean Dyche since the Forest boss suggested earlier this year that he could have done better at Manchester United using a traditional 4-4-2 setup.

Speaking on a podcast with Sam Allardyce, Dyche questioned Amorim’s tactics after United endured a poor campaign last season, finishing 15th in the Premier League.

“They keep talking about the philosophy but it isn’t working,” Dyche said at the time. “I bet I could win more games just by going to 4-4-2. I might be wrong because in the summer they might bring in three big hitters. But it is Man United. You wouldn’t normally survive in that situation.”

When asked about Dyche’s comments during his pre-match press conference, Amorim said, “Maybe it’s true if we play 4-4-2 we would have won more games, but I always said I have a way of playing that is going to take a while.

“But then I can look at Sean Dyche as a manager and as a pundit. If you are a pundit and you don’t say very strong things, I don’t want to watch you. I’m the same. I can understand it’s a completely different job. I know that Sean Dyche is really smart and he knows how to play the game.”

Source: Naijanews