Lisandro Martinez suffers horrible injury as Man Utd star in tears on stretcher
Lisandro Martinez suffered a dreadful injury during Manchester United's clash with Crystal Palace, with the defender having to be stretchered off the pitch at Old Trafford
by Jacob Leeks · The MirrorLisandro Martinez has been left in tears after he had to be stretched off during Manchester United's clash with Crystal Palace.
The Argentine defender instantly called for a substitution after jarring his left knee in the turf during a challenge with Ismalia Sarr. Martinez had his head in his hands as he lay flat, with medics attending him.
The 27-year-old was seen crying on the stretcher as he was carried off, with Matthijs de Ligt coming on to replace him. The ball had been played down the touchline on United's left hand side in the 77th minute, with Martinez covering.
But as he tried to shield the ball, the defender crumpled to the floor, with referee John Brooks quickly awarding United a free-kick. But in concerning scenes, Martinez did not get back to his feet and instead stayed on the ground.
The United star did sit up and could be seen holding his left knee as his United team-mates gathered around him. After a five-minute delay, Martinez was eventually carried off the pitch.
By that stage, United were already a goal down thanks to Jean-Phillipe Mateta's goal. The Palace star reacted first after Maxence Lacroix's header hit the bar to smash the ball into the net.
United's day went from bad to worse when Martinez went off injured, before Mateta sealed a win for Palace with a second goal. That came with one minute of normal time remaining when Sarr played a delightful pass in behind for Daniel Munoz.
The wing-back was clean through on goal, but chose to be selfless and squared the ball for Mateta to tap into an empty net. United boss Ruben Amorim admitted that Martinez's injury appeared to be serious.
"We are going to see in the next days but I think it is a serious situation. He is not only a great player but a strong character in the dressing room," he told Sky Sports
"He felt it and when you are a player, you know when it is something serious. We are here to help him in this difficult moment like he has helped us.
"The result is really bad. The performance was a little bit better than the last games. We controlled the transitions quite well for Crystal Palace. We suffered two goals that we can avoid and the injury on Lisandro Martinez was tough for the team."
The win ensured United's miserable season continued, with the Red Devils now 13th in the Premier League table. They are now just 12 points outside the relegation zone.
An injury to Martinez would be a serious blow for boss Ruben Amorim. The Argentine has started all but three of Amorim's 20 games in charge of United.
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