Lisandro Martinez considers retirement

Since the start of the season, Manchester United have been grappling with a series of fitness challenges across the squad, with several key players sidelined due to long-term injuries.

The Reds’ defensive line, in particular, has seen constant rotation, forcing ex-manager Ruben Amorim to adjust his tactics for Premier League matches.

Fans have noticed the impact, with United conceding crucial goals during spells when regular starters were unavailable.

Off the pitch, the club has invested heavily in rehabilitation facilities and sports science staff to ensure players return stronger and fitter after layoffs.

One player in particular has become emblematic of this struggle, demonstrating both resilience and vulnerability in equal measure.

Manchester United ace Lisandro Martinez almost retired from football amid his most recent injury hell that sidelined him for a staggering nine months.

Lisandro Martinez damaged his anterior cruciate ligament in United’s 2-0 defeat by Crystal Palace at Old Trafford in February and finally returned in November to help his team beat the same opponent 2-1 at Selhurst Park.

That wasn’t the centre-back’s first injury setback as his near four-year stint at Man Utd has been plagued by issues with his knee, foot, calf and back.

A foot injury put the Argentina international out of commission for 106 days during the 2023-24 campaign.

Those long injury layoffs saw the versatile defender miss the 2023 FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City as well as last season’s Europa League final defeat to Tottenham.

Of a possible 135 Premier League games he could have played since arriving at the club, he’s played 67.

And Martinez admitted that “after the first two or three weeks” of his most recent injury he actually thought about quitting football at the age of 26.

But the former Ajax star found the strength to fight back thanks to a mixture of support from his loved ones as well as therapy sessions as he also found a way to reconnect with himself.

Martinez told AFA Estudio via YouTube: “You feel like you’re not a football player anymore. 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.

“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.”