Just over 24 hours after taking over as Manchester United manager, Ruben Amorim has reportedly already been handed his first injury blow.
The majority of the Man United squad are away on international duty, so Amorim will not have a full training session until the days prior to his first game in charge against Ipswich Town.
Amorim will be watching on hoping none of his key players pick up knocks over the next week, with members of the squad playing far and wide, including some in South America.
However, it is a player that has already departed for South American that is believed to have come down with an injury.
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Martinez withdraws from Argentina duty?
Argentinian journalist Gaston Edul has revealed that defender Lisandro Martinez has pulled out of Lionel Scaloni's squad, and will not be available for the matches against Paraguay and Peru this month.
With Nicolas Tagliafico the first-choice left-back for the Albiceleste, and Nicolas Otamendi and Cristian Romero above Martinez in the pecking order, it is unlikely the Man United man would have got much game time, but there will now be concerns about whether he will be fit for Amorim's first game.
Since being dropped by Erik ten Hag for the draw at Aston Villa at the start of October, Martinez has started all but one of the Red Devils' matches, when he came off the bench against PAOK, and was one of the strong performers in their recent 3-0 win over Leicester City.
It is believed that Martinez picked up a hip problem in that clash with the Foxes, though, and lengthy travel delays attempting to get to Paraguay from the UK are said to have aggravated the issue.
Martinez is now set to return to Carrington in the coming days and meet his new manager, but there will be major doubts surrounding his fitness for the Ipswich game.
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Malacia returned timed to perfection
Some well-timed news in the wake of Martinez's injury is the return of Tyrell Malacia, who played 45 minutes in Man United Under-21's EFL Trophy defeat to Huddersfield Town on Tuesday night.
The Dutchman has not been seen in a United shirt of any sort since the final day of the 2022-23 season, but after 18 months on the sidelines, he has made huge strides in returning to the fold.
Malacia has been in light training since September, but was never in contention to return, and his reintroduction to the first team is set to be gradual.
While Amorim would like to have the 25-year-old available if Martinez is missing for any length of time, it is imperative United are careful with Malacia, given the severity and recurrences of his problem.
The £12.9m signing from Feyenoord arrived at Old Trafford in 2022, but like fellow left-back Luke Shaw, has suffered hugely from persistent injuries, and has played just 39 games for the club.
Andrew Delaney
