Manchester United have suffered a blow ahead of their Premier League clash against Everton on Monday, February 23. Lisandro Martinez has suffered a calf injury but is not expected to be out for long.
According to a report in The Athletic, Martinez is not with the Manchester United squad today for their match trip to Everton. The defender has started all five matches under Michael Carrick, and the Red Devils are unbeaten, having won four and drawn once.
He forced a partnership with Harry Maguire in the heart of the defence, keeping two clean sheets in the four wins over Manchester City, Arsenal, Fulham, and Tottenham. They have won just seven of their 18 matches when Martinez has not played. They have five wins in nine matches with the Argentine in the starting XI.
Carrick had confirmed that Manchester United will have a tough game at the new Everton stadium, admitting that Goodison Park was a tough place in the past. He said (via club website):
“I’m looking forward to it [Hill Dickinson Stadium], I’ve never been so it’s my first time as well. Goodison was a tough, tough place to go at the best of times, no matter how we were playing or how they were playing. It was always one of the toughest grounds to go to."
Michael Carrick is hoping that the players keep the Sir Jim Ratcliffe controversy away and focus on the game, saying:
“We're definitely all pulling together, I think, being in and around here and being in and around stadiums in the last few weeks and certainly, in this environment, quite closely, I think it's clear as you could ever be [that there] is pulling together. So, we're pretty strong as a group.”
Manchester United are fifth in the Premier League table, and can move to fourth with a draw or a win.
Champions League qualification is important for Manchester United
Manchester United have not played in the UEFA Champions League for two seasons and Michael Carrick has admitted that the club needs to be playing in the best European competition. He said:
“Yeah, of course it's where we want to be. It's where we want to be. You know, we've had success in this competition before and some great experiences in this competition and for all sorts of different reasons, it's where we want to be, so it's definitely what we're pushing for.”
The Red Devils could have qualified for the UEFA Champions League this season, but lost to Tottenham in the Europa League final in the 2024/25 season.