Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez has been out injured since February, but this week he has finally returned to first-team group training.
It has been a long fight back to fitness for Lisandro Martinez, with the Argentine ruled out with a knee injury back in February 2025.
Martinez’s torn ACL injury was one United fans feared might be the end of the cult hero who joined in 2022 under Erik ten Hag.
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Martinez was nicknamed ‘The Butcher’ due to his aggression on the pitch, tackles and his on-ball quality in defence are irreplaceable. Now, he’s returned to Ruben Amorim’s squad for training.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty ImagesLisandro Martinez back in Manchester United training
There was a welcome sight this week, as after weeks of Martinez working back to fitness, he finally made his return to Carrington pitches for team training for the first time since February.
The United official X account tweeted to reveal the news, writing: “Look who’s back”, with an image of the Argentina international.
Martinez’s return could improve United defensively and in terms of building out from the back.
In response, United fans have been making bold predictions on social media.
Manchester United fans react to Martinez training return
Martinez’s eventual comeback performance will be applauded by the fans, but this might yet be a while away as risks won’t be taken. However, his return to training has got fans excited anyway, with title race predictions made.
One tweeted, “Imagine this team and this defence, and now Martinez is back. We honestly can fight for the title if we keep calm and carry on.”
Continuing like this, others agreed. “Our title charge starts now…”, one admitted, while a second added, “Get innn. Our title charge starts now”.
“My Cult Hero is so back!!! Bring the PL title already!!!”, one fan commented, clearly enthused by Martinez’s return.
Another fan gave Martinez huge praise, before admitted a title charge may be on the cards, “One of our very own best ball playing defender in the world is back on grass. I won’t be surprised if we win the league this season.”
It is way too early to shout title race, with three wins on the bounce just the beginning, however, the optimism is testament to the work Amorim has done.