Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville has raised his concerns about the issues that Manchester United will face around Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez.
Matthijs de Ligt has been a long-term injury absentee this season and has not featured once under Michael Carrick since Ruben Amorim was sacked.
The 26-year-old Manchester United centre-back has not played in the Red Devils’ last 18 matches across all competitions since his lower back issue emerged in 2025.
Lisandro Martinez, on the other hand, has been a recent addition to the Man Utd sidelines and has not featured in the Red Devils’ last four matches this season.
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Lisandro Martinez arrives ahead of a first-team Manchester United training session at the Carrington training complex in 2026 in Manchester, England.
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Gary Neville reacts to the Man Utd absences of Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez under Michael Carrick
Lisandro Martinez had been a key defensive pick for Manchester United legend Michael Carrick before he was ruled out of action in February due to a calf strain.
Carrick has turned to Leny Yoro to fill the void left behind by Martinez and has partnered the 20-year-old Frenchman alongside key defensive pick Harry Maguire.
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Matthijs de Ligt might not have played under Carrick, but the Netherlands international was a linchpin defensive figure for Ruben Amorim this season.
Speaking on his Sky Sports show, Gary Neville highlighted that United face a real issue with De Ligt and Martinez being sidelined at the same time due to injuries.
“The problem at centre-back actually is that at the moment, De Ligt and Martinez, arguably with Maguire, their two best centre-backs, they can’t get on the pitch,” he said on The Gary Neville Podcast.
“It’s a real problem.”
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Gary Neville sends a message to Ineos and Co about Man Utd missing Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez
Martinez missed the opening months of the 2025-26 Premier League campaign under former United manager Amorim after his 2025 cruciate knee ligament injury.
The 28-year-old Argentine centre-back has been deeply influential when he has played for the Red Devils, but injuries have curtailed his Old Trafford spell.
Speaking after Man Utd’s 3-1 win over Aston Villa, Neville said that a major problem for the Red Devils will be how long it will take to refresh their centre-back picks.
“It might then be the summer after [this one] when they finally get round to new centre-backs because they have got a problem,” he explained.
United’s Premier League result over Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon was the Red Devils’ seventh win from nine matches under interim boss Carrick.
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