Man United handed major fitness boost ahead of Crystal Palace battle with key man "ready" to start

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has confirmed that Lisandro Martinez "is ready" to start for the Red Devils, with the Argentina international in contention to be in the first XI against Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.

Martinez made his return to the squad from a long-term knee injury against Everton on Monday, although the Argentina international was not used in the Premier League clash.

The centre-back has now had another full week of training, and Amorim has said that he would have no problem in selecting the 27-year-old from the start at Selhurst Park.

However, the Man United head coach stressed the importance of 'controlling' Martinez's minutes.

"If he is on the bench, he is ready. Of course, we need to control his minutes but, if he is on the bench, he is ready to play," Amorim told reporters.

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Martinez an option to start for Man United at Palace

Martinez's return is excellent news for Man United, with the Argentine seemingly the perfect fit to feature as the left-sided centre-back in a back three.

That spot has been occupied by Luke Shaw this season, but the defender's performance against Everton last time out drew criticism from ex-Red Devils captain Gary Neville.

"You have Shaw, [Leny] Yoro and [Matthijs] De Ligt behind the ball. Shaw is getting forward more, but he's ambling forward, let's be clear. He's been bugging me for the last 20 minutes. He's ambling. You can't do that," Neville told Sky Sports.

"He should be running forward every single time. I don't care. Yoro, I have a little bit more sympathy for but Shaw? That's a waste of time. I don't care. It's not conning anybody. I'm not having it."

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Man United team news: Sesko, Cunha, Maguire missing for the Red Devils

Man United will be without the services of three players for Sunday's game at Palace, with Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Harry Maguire on the sidelines.

Sesko faces a battle to return before the end of the year due to a knee problem, but Cunha (head) and Maguire (thigh) may be back for next week's game against West Ham United.