Manchester United dealt blow as star defender stretchered off the pitch after picking up injury against Crystal Palace

Manchester United have been dealt a major blow as centre-back Lisandro Martinez was forced off with an injury in their game against Crystal Palace on Sunday, February 2. The Argentine defender had to be carried off on a stretcher after a coming together in the second half as his side lost 2-0.

Former Ajax defender Martinez started in his usual left centre-back position for the Red Devils as they hosted Crystal Palace after two away wins in a row. The 26-year-old left the pitch on a stretcher in the 82nd minute with an apparent injury.

Martinez tangled with Crystal Palace forward Ismaila Sarr in the 77th minute and earned a free-kick after losing the duel. The Argentina international did not, however, get up immediately after the encounter, requiring the attention of the medical team. After five minutes of treatment on what looked like a twisted knee, the defender was stretchered off the pitch.

Matthijs de Ligt came on in place of the stricken Lisandro Martinez for Manchester United, as Ruben Amorim directed Leny Yoro to take up the vacated left centre-back position. De Ligt occupied the right side of the defence for the remainder of the encounter.

Lisandro Martinez has made 20 league appearances for the Red Devils this season, more than he made in the entirety of the 2023-24 season. The defender battled foot, hamstring, and knee injuries last season and appeared only 11 times in the league.

Ruben Amorim and Manchester United will hope that Martinez has not suffered significant damage, seeing as he has been one of the side's most important players. The player will undergo scans in the coming days to ascertain the extent of damage suffered, and learn the timeline of his recovery.

Manchester United suffer disappointing home defeat to Crystal Palace

Manchester United suffered a 2-0 defeat against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford in their Premier League meeting on Sunday. The Eagles extended their away unbeaten run to eight games as they picked up an important three points against Ruben Amorim's side.

After a drab first hour, French striker Jean-Phillipe Mateta opened the scoring for the visiting side against the run of play in the 64th minute. He reacted quickest to prod home from close range after a header from Maxence Lacroix came back off the crossbar.

The Frenchman scored his and his side's second in the 87th minute to kill off the encounter after an impressive counter-attack. Daniel Munoz beat the Manchester United line with a well-timed run before unselfishly squaring for the striker to score. The result leaves the Red Devils in 13th place in the league, and was their 11th league defeat this season.