Man United dealt fresh Lisandro Martinez injury blow after Argentina star limps off in World Cup final defeat

Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez sustained a fresh injury in Argentina's World Cup final defeat to Spain.

The 28-year-old was a key figure in Argentina's road to the final, starting seven of his country's eight matches in the 2026 tournament.

However, his final was brought to a premature end when he appeared to suffer a thigh issue in the closing stages of the first half.

Martinez was seen holding his right thigh not long after making a cynical foul on Mikel Oyarzabal, and while he tried to continue, he had to be replaced by the experienced Nicolas Otamendi in the 44th minute.

Argentina would go on to lose Cristian Romero to injury and Enzo Fernandez to a red card before Spain's Ferran Torres netted an extra-time winner.

Man United dealt fresh Martinez injury blow

Martinez will now head off for a three-week break before he links back up with Man United ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

The Red Devils will be hoping that the defender has avoided any serious issue, given his string of injury problems since joining the club from Ajax in July 2022.

According to The Sun, Man United are yet to draw up a plan for Martinez's recovery process.

The Argentine is likely to feature in Man United's training camp in Ireland, which gets underway on August 8.

However, the extent of his involvement in that week-long training camp will depend on how he recovers from his thigh issue.

Martinez's series of injuries at Man United

The 28-year-old missed the end of the 2022-23 campaign with a metatarsal fracture, before further surgery on the affected area forced him to miss a significant portion of the 2023-24 season.

Martinez also struggled with knee and calf problems in the latter stages of his second season at Old Trafford.

The centre-back enjoyed plenty of playing time in the first half of the following season, only for his progress to be abruptly halted by an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Martinez was on the sidelines for nine months before he made his long-awaited return to action in November 2025.

Unfortunately for the Argentina international, he suffered another injury in February, causing him to miss eight matches before returning in April.