Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez is a welcome face back at the club's Carrington training ground as he continues his recovery from a foot injury.
Martinez, who quickly became a fan favourite among United supporters following his 2022 transfer from Ajax, saw his debut season prematurely ended by a broken metatarsal suffered against Sevilla in the Europa League in April.
The centre-back returned to action in pre-season but ended up aggravating the problem when United faced Arsenal in early September. Martinez played on through further games against Brighton & Hove Albion and Bayern Munich, before being ruled out for an "extended period" after surgery.
Martinez had been allowed to travel home to Argentina to aid his recuperation and appeared on local television when he attended a Primera Division clash between former team Defensa y Justicia and Racing Club earlier this month.
"I am in the process of recovery. It is the second time that an injury like this has happened to me. So, you have to be patient," he told broadcaster TNT Sports at the time.
Martinez is now back in England and was an observer at United training on Wednesday. However, his actual return to the pitch could still be a bit further down the road - Casemiro is in a similar boat.
"Casemiro and Martinez are really strong injuries. I don't expect them back before Christmas," manager Erik ten Hag recently explained, suggesting it could be 2024 before either plays again.
