Man United head coach Ruben Amorim issues Lisandro Martinez fitness update ahead of Nottingham Forest showdown

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has said that Lisandro Martinez will not be involved in Saturday's Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest.

Martinez was back in training on Wednesday following a lengthy absence with a knee injury, and Amorim revealed during his press conference on Thursday that the Argentina international had asked to be involved in the squad against Forest at the City Ground.

However, the Red Devils are being cautious with a player who has been out since February, so Martinez's return could instead come against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on November 9.

Amorim has also revealed that a late check will need to be made on Harry Maguire after the England international missed the clash with Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend due to a knock.

"He wants to go to this one [Forest], he isn't going to this one. He's going to need time. He has started training with us. Slowly he is going to get better," Amorim told reporters.

"It's really good. He gives use that edge in every training session, that is also really good for us. The rest of the guys we have. I don't know about Harry Maguire, the rest are fit."

Man United's Lisandro Martinez is back but will not feature against Forest on Saturday

Man United will be aiming to make it four straight wins in the Premier League when they head to Forest on Saturday afternoon.

"I watched the last game, it was one of the first ones here that we won, we were so lucky in that game. I watched against Porto, I watched against Bournemouth, the style of play is similar, with different characteristics," said Amorim when asked about Forest.

"I watched one game that we did in pre-season with Sporting, so to try to understand how he played in that game. It's similar, he can change some characteristics of the players with the talent that they have, especially with [Morgan] Gibbs-White, [Elliot] Anderson, [Callum] Hudson-Odoi, very good players.

"So we need to be prepared for a different game against Brighton. We had space to play. We are not going to have that space. You need to understand that we are not being the same team away and at home, so we need to improve the way we control the environment.

"Every tackle is a big moment for the opponent's fans, so we need to play better away. We are prepared for a very tough match."

Amorim delivers AFCON verdict with Mbeumo, Amad set to be unavailable for selection

Amorim was also asked about being without Cameroon's Bryan Mbeumo and Ivory Coast's Amad Diallo during the Africa Cup of Nations, which will run between December 21 and January 15.

"We will have time to suffer. We are going to struggle a little bit, but we already knew it's going to be an opportunity. When I watch the training, there are players that should be playing, but it's hard with one game to take some players from the team, because they are doing well also during the training in games. So other players are going to have the opportunity to help us," said the manager.

"They are understanding the way we want to play, so if we are improving on that, the change of characteristics is not going to change the idea or the momentum of the team. But let's use Amad and Bryan in these games and we will see in general."

The AFCON begins on December 21 and ends on January 15, so Mbeumo and Amad could miss a total of six Premier League matches for the Red Devils depending on how their countries perform.