The Manchester United defender thanked fans for their birthday wishes and sent a message to his team-mates as he geared up for a spell on the sidelines.
Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez has thanked fans for their “fantastic” messages of support following news that his midfoot injury has ruled him out for the rest of the season.
The Argentine star set foot in the latter stages of United’s 2-2 Europa League quarter-final first leg against Sevilla on Thursday. He had to be helped off the pitch and then carried through the tunnel.
The centre-back has become a behemoth for Erik ten Hag since his arrival in the summer and his absence has been a major blow for the Reds as they chase Champions League qualification.
United will also be without Raphael Varane in the coming weeks after he was sacked at half-time following a knock at Sevilla. They join Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Donny van de Beek – whose season is also over – among others on the injured list.
Martinez, who has made 45 appearances and kept 19 clean sheets this season, has now sent a message to United fans as he pledges to come back ‘stronger’ from injury and reflects on his first season at Old Trafford.
Taking to social media, he wrote: “Not how I imagined a very special end to the season, but sometimes we encounter obstacles along the way that we have to overcome to make ourselves stronger and we learn from it.
“I know I will be back very soon to do more. In the meantime, I will continue to support all my teammates to achieve our goals.
“The number of messages and support I have received has been incredible, giving me strength and encouragement at this time. Thank you all so much from the bottom of my heart.”
He also tagged his fellow Argentine teammates Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel of Sevilla for helping him off the pitch after his injury, as pictured in his Instagram post.
