Manchester United handed triple injury boost ahead of new season
Lisandro Martinez is closing in on a Manchester United return ahead of the new season. The Argentine defender has been ruled out since February with a serious knee injury.
But he is edging towards a return to the side, with further progress made during United's pre-season tour in the United States. Martinez is continuing his rehabilitation with his teammates in Chicago as he aims to return to the pitch.
The Manchester Evening News suggest that the defender is set to resume light training as part of an individual programme. He is not, however, ready to train alongside his teammates just yet.
That means Martinez could still be sidelined for United's Premier League opener against Arsenal in just over a fortnight.
Speaking ahead of that game, Martinez said: 'The club is obviously going through a process of change. Since Sir Alex Ferguson 's departure, they haven't found a manager who hits the right note. Ten Hag did a remarkable job at Ajax, which is why he went to United, and thanks to him, I joined the club as well.
"It's like everything in life: you take a gamble, and sometimes it works out well, sometimes it doesn't. I think that, like any club, if something isn't working, it needs to be changed. It's necessary to analyse what's working and what isn't and make changes accordingly because that's how great clubs operate. Manchester is one of the best clubs in the world.
"Now Ruben Amorim has arrived with very good energy and willingness. I believe he will make the necessary changes. Without a doubt change is needed, because where we ended up in the table over the last two seasons is unacceptable."
As Martinez steps up his recovery, Andre Onana and Joshua Zirkzee are both back training after their own respective issues.
Onana has been struggling with a hamstring strain, while Zirkzee picked up a slight issue at the start of pre-season. But both have returned to the pitch and will step up their respective recoveries over the coming week.
Speaking about his issue, Zirkzee said: "I've got a small injury but it shouldn't take too long to recover now. I've got great physios working with me every day.
"It's not a serious problem. It's pre-season so unlike last season where I wanted to push myself to be back for the final, obviously now I just want to be there for the start of the season."
United take on Everton on Sunday before their final pre-season game against Italian side Fiorentina in just over a week's time. They then have a further eight days to fine-tune any aspects of Ruben Amorim's tactics ahead of the season opener against Arsenal.
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