Manchester United face a nervous wait to find out the extent of the injury suffered by Lisandro MartÃnez in the 2026 World Cup final.
MartÃnez was withdrawn shortly before halftime at MetLife Stadium, after appearing to hurt himself during a foul on Spain forward Mikel Oyarzabal moments earlier. There was no waiting a little longer until the break for medics to assess the defender, with Nicolás Otamendi straight on.
The exact nature of the injury is not yet clear. Gesturing towards his thigh in the moment suggests it could be some sort of muscle complaint. There is at least some optimism that major damage has been avoided, because MartÃnez returned from the extended halftime to sit on the bench, not visibly limping or with additional help. He also fully partook in the postgame medal ceremony.
Lisandro MartÃnez Injury Concerning for Man Utd
The news of any potential problem comes as a blow for Manchester United. When fit, MartÃnez is among the best ball-playing center backs there is and is respected enough at Old Trafford to have been awarded the captain’s armband during Bruno Fernandes’s brief injury absence last season.
Unfortunately, staying healthy has proven to be difficult since arriving from Ajax in 2022. MartÃnez was injured for nine months from February to November in 2025 because of an ACL injury. He later missed a few weeks because of a calf injury and, over the last four seasons, Transfermarkt estimates 108 matches missed for club and country, and 609 days total days injured.
MartÃnez will now have a three-week break before reporting for club duty next month. His return to Manchester United’s Carrington base after the period of mandatory rest should coincide with the final stages of the team’s summer program from August 10. Later that week, the Red Devils are due to face Leeds United in Dublin, Ireland and AC Milan in WrocÅ‚aw, Poland.
A possible injury aside, MartÃnez’s involvement in either game might be doubtful given he will only just have resumed training at that point. It remains to be seen whether, even if not in contention to play at that point, he would still travel or train individually back in Manchester. Benjamin Å eÅ¡ko was not part of the squad for Saturday’s defeat to Wrexham in Helsinki, Finland for that reason.
strongest XI, probably alongside a resurgent Harry Maguire with even more motivation to prove the doubters wrong after his own surprise World Cup snub.
With Matthijs de Ligt still recovering from back surgery in May to heal a long-term problem, United’s immediate options to partner Maguire are Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven.
Heaven, like MartÃnez, is left footed and therefore the more natural replacement to provide better balance to the defense. The 19-year-old initially rose to prominence under previous United manager Ruben Amorim in a back three. Michael Carrick reverting to a more conventional two-center back system, at the same time as MartÃnez hitting full stride post-ACL, limited the opportunities, but Heaven ended up plugging gaps during a MartÃnez suspension in late April/early May and impressed.
Heaven was always going to have an opportunity to solidify a partnership with Maguire over the course of preseason because of MartÃnez’s World Cup involvement. But throw an injury to the Argentine into the mix and it has the potential to be more than just for the summer.
