MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JANUARY 11: Lisandro Martinez of Manchester United during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Ma
Lisandro Martinez admits his ACL injury took a toll on him mentally (Image: Getty Images)
Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez has revealed he considered quitting football altogether following a devastating ACL injury last year. The 27-year-old was forced to spend nine months on the sidelines after suffering the injury during a 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in February. Following surgery, he was absent for the remainder of the previous campaign and the beginning of the current one, before returning in the 2-1 win over Oliver Glasner's side at the end of November.
The former Ajax star, who joined Old Trafford for £55million in July 2022, has endured a catalogue of injury setbacks. The defender was reportedly involved in a training ground confrontation with Ruben Amorim over the Christmas period, shortly before the Portuguese manager departed Old Trafford. It's understood that Martinez was demanding increased game time following his nine-month absence, insisting he was fit enough to help the side.
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Now, speaking candidly to AFA Estudio, the United star has admitted he contemplated calling time on his career. "You feel like you're not a football player anymore," Martinez revealed. "You feel pain and think you'll never play football again."
"A mental and physical imbalance, which, honestly, when I think about it today, I don't know how I did it. I clung to the people around me, my family, my friends.
"After the first two or three weeks, to be honest, I didn't want to play football anymore. And then, of course, you become more aware, you get that support."
Martinez also endured a fractured metatarsal in April 2023, which ended his involvement for the remainder of that campaign. A second surgical procedure became necessary, keeping him out of action for 180 days across two separate spells.
Manchester United FC v Crystal Palace FC - Premier League
Lisandro Martinez suffered the problem against Crystal Palace last February (Image: Getty)
The setback meant he was unable to feature in the FA Cup final defeat to Man City that term, whilst he was also forced to watch from the sidelines during last year's Europa League final loss to Tottenham Hotspur.
Reflecting on his recovery journey, Martinez said: "You need to not take the easy way out. The easy way out is to just give up and that's it.
"But, I always say, it's in the face of adversity that you show your true character. So I reconnected with myself, I reconnected with my roots, with who I am, with my values, and I gave it my all, day after day.
"For me, it was day by day, a constant struggle, and my match was every day at the gym. Then, well, I had therapy with my psychologist, always trying to improve in every aspect - and then I was clear about what I wanted, right?".
"To try to become the best version of myself, to give my best, to see how far I could go.
"And the truth is that with each passing month, I saw the results, I saw how I was getting stronger, and today, on the pitch, I feel excellent, and I say that thanks to those days, well, of suffering, of not giving up - today we have the results."