Rúben Amorim may choose to deploy Lisandro Martínez as an auxiliary midfielder as he looks to solve his Manchester United structure crisis.
After steering Manchester United through the final six months of last season, Rúben Amorim’s first full campaign has begun in shaky fashion, yielding one win, one draw, and two defeats from the opening weeks of 2025/26.
A narrow 1-0 loss to Arsenal opened the season, a performance that at least hinted at potential. That was followed by a flat 1-1 draw away at Fulham, before United suffered humiliation in the Carabao Cup, crashing out to League Two side Grimsby Town on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
Their first win finally came against Burnley, with Bruno Fernandes converting a late spot-kick to seal a dramatic 3-2 victory.
But after the international break, Amorim’s men were comfortably beaten 3-0 by Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at the Etihad, a result that has sparked serious questions over the manager’s future at Old Trafford.
Martínez expected back end of October
Early indications suggested that centre-back Lisandro Martínez would not return from injury until November, and while there had been optimism he could be back in September, the initial prognosis now seems closer to the mark.
Argentine journalist Gastón Edul reports that Martínez is aiming to rejoin United’s squad in late October or early November.
With his long-term goal of featuring at the 2026 World Cup in mind, United are not considering accelerating his recovery and instead want to allow him the time to regain full fitness and remain available for the rest of the season.
That timeline points towards a possible comeback in the away fixture against Forest on 1 November, or potentially the following week’s clash with Tottenham on 8 November, though both dates could yet change.
Amorim considering Martínez in midfield
Amorim’s tough start has led to intense criticism across the opening fixtures, with much of the focus on the current midfield issues. Far too often, it’s felt as if the duo in the middle of the park are set up to fail because there is too much ground to cover.
Read More: Manchester United “serious contender” to sign £30m Brentford man, it follows Carlos Baleba transfer strategy
Further, United’s two most defensive midfielders, Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte, are too inconsistent. While the former does not seem to have the legs to keep up with Premier League football for 90 minutes, Ugarte is far too rash and inconsistent both defending and on the ball.
Therefore, according to GiveMeSport, Martínez has become a genuine contender to play as an auxiliary midfielder in Amorim’s mind. The Argentina international is known for being good on the ball and evading press well, so he could certainly compete for the position if needed.
While Martínez has played as a centre-back in a back two under Ten Hag at United and as a left centre-back under AMorim, he previously played both at left back and as a defensive midfielder at Ajax, and showed fantastic proficiency in both positions.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 12:30 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.