Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has confirmed that Lisandro Martinez will not be rushed back into action, despite the defender’s eagerness to feature in this weekend’s Premier League fixture against Nottingham Forest.
Martinez has been out since February after sustaining a cruciate ligament injury in the defeat to Crystal Palace. Since joining from Ajax in 2022, the Argentine defender has struggled with recurring injuries, limiting him to just 52 Premier League starts.
Although he has resumed full training, Amorim insists United will take a cautious approach to avoid setbacks.
“He wants to be involved in this one,” Amorim said. “But he won’t be. He needs more time. He has started training with us, but we still have to adjust some exercises for him, so he’s going to improve gradually.”
Amorim also noted the positive impact Martinez has already made within the squad since returning to training.
“He brings intensity to every training session,” the United boss added. “That energy is really important for us.”
Saturday’s match at the City Ground will also mark Amorim’s first meeting with Forest manager Sean Dyche since Dyche publicly suggested earlier this year that he could have achieved better results at United using a traditional 4-4-2 formation.
Speaking on a podcast with Sam Allardyce, Dyche questioned Amorim’s methods following United’s disappointing 15th-place finish last season.
“They keep talking about philosophy but it isn’t working,” Dyche had said. “I bet I could win more games going 4-4-2. I might be wrong if they bring in top players, but it’s Manchester United — normally you don’t survive results like that.”
Addressing those comments, Amorim responded diplomatically:
“Maybe it’s true we might have won more with 4-4-2, but I have a style of play that requires time,” he said. “I respect Dyche — as a manager and as a pundit. If you’re a pundit and don’t say strong things, no one listens. He knows what he’s doing.”
