The Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez was confirmed to be sidelined for a long stretch of time last week after it was announced he had suffered a recurrence of a foot issue which kept him out of the latter stages of the last campaign. However, on Tuesday Erik ten Hag confirmed his center-back will need to undertake an operation which is expected to keep him out until 2024. The manager sent a message to his center-back. He said: “That’s really sad, disappointing news. He has to go through the same process and I’m really sorry for him.
Erik ten Hag said “The squad will miss him. As you know, we have more injuries, so we always have to deal with it as a squad. As a club, we have to deal with injuries. He has to be strong. He will fight back, I’m sure. He is a character. There is still a long season ahead and he will be fit. We have to do our job, to get ourselves in the right position, so he can contribute, and add quality, when he returns.”
Adding to his old manager’s thoughts, former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea also sent a heartfelt message to his former teammate Lisandro Martinez after it was announced he will undergo surgery to resolve a foot injury. De Gea took to Instagram to post a three-word message to his friend. He posted on his story: “Stay strong warrior.”
