Lisandro Martínez joins Argentina camp to train as fitness gamble irritates Man United fans

Lisandro Martínez has linked up with the Argentina national team to train during the break. From my years in dressing rooms, I know what this really means - he wants rhythm and the national setup trusts his progress. Still, the timing is spicy. Long travel, tight turnarounds, and a body that has been through repeated stops can be unforgiving. United fans are split. Some beg him to stay in one piece, others want him to gain sharpness before the club resumes. The decision signals confidence from Argentina, but it also puts added stress on a defender United badly need fully fit.

Argentina’s squad has convened for the international break, with medical and fitness staff assessing returning players before pitch sessions. Martínez has traveled from club duty to the national team camp to participate in controlled training as part of his return to full rhythm. The setup typically includes gym work, pitch conditioning, and tactical drills, with minutes managed across the week depending on player response. The center-back has endured disrupted months with setbacks and aims to rebuild continuity in a structured environment. The context here is simple - Argentina want him integrated, and he wants competitive readiness.

🚨 BREAKING: Lisandro Martínez has joined the Argentine National Team - he has traveled to train. [@gastonedul]

@UtdXclusive

Impact Analysis

I have lived these weeks. You feel fit on Thursday, then a 12 to 14 hour travel day steals your legs by Saturday. Martínez is choosing the hard road - train with the world champions, chase sharpness, and prove robustness under pressure. For Manchester United, this is a high-risk moment. He is their build-up anchor at left center-back, the one who straightens the team’s first pass under a press. When he is absent, the back line drops five meters, the midfield becomes disconnected, and transitions turn messy.

From a physical standpoint, long-haul travel, sleep disruption, and surface changes increase soft-tissue risk. Add his recent stop-start run and you get a red-flag profile even if he looks clean in testing. Argentina’s staff will likely stage him through non-contact work, position-specific drills, then small-sided intensity. That is standard. The fear is the second or third session spike - when confidence returns and the workload quietly jumps.

If he survives the week without reaction, United benefit. He will return sharper, more decisive in duels, and braver stepping into midfield. But if there is even minor soreness, the club could lose him for another stretch. I have seen that movie too many times. Rival teams will welcome any delay to his full return because he changes United’s structure more than any other defender in their squad.

Reaction

Fans online swung hard between hope and anger. A chunk begged for caution, pointing out he has hardly strung a clean run of games together. Others argued rhythm is impossible without minutes - train now, play later, and let the muscle memory come back. The comparison with Luke Shaw popped up again and again - same travel, same optimism, same sting when setbacks followed. Some even floated the nuclear option that if his availability does not stabilize this season, the club should cash in and recruit a left-sided center-back who can stay on the pitch.

Then there is the national pride thread. Argentina supporters are delighted. If he trains, he belongs in the group, and they prefer him in camp under Scaloni’s eye rather than isolated at Carrington. United die-hards countered with irritation - he has not kicked a ball for them since the last knock, so why risk him now with a transatlantic trip just to train. A few pragmatists tried to cut through the noise: get him match fit, even 45 controlled minutes in a behind-closed-doors hit-out would be progress. The tone overall felt edgy, protective, and tired of false dawns.

Social reactions

He'll do a Shaw and get re-injured 100%.

Rune Toftlund (@Rutof)

Travelling thousands of miles to train. If he doesn’t stay fit this season time for Utd to cash in get lcb who can stay fit

Chirag Patel (@chiragcp1982)

Licha at LCB and Shaw at LWB after the break please

UWT (@UtdWrestlinTalk)

Prediction

Three scenarios sit on the table. Best case - staged minutes in training, no inflammation, and he returns to Manchester with green flags from both medical teams. In that case, United can reestablish their left-sided exit, compress the pitch, and protect the box with better body shape. His presence also elevates the fullback on his side, who can push five to ten meters higher because he covers infield so well.

Middle case - no breakdown, but persistent tightness that delays his club start by another 10 to 14 days. He stays on modified loads, gym-first protocols, and becomes a late December solution rather than an immediate fix. United shuffle again, asking the back line to clear their lines more often and sacrificing controlled build-up.

Worst case - a reaction in the second high-intensity session. That pushes any real comeback far into the distance. From my experience, once a player stacks travel fatigue on top of incomplete conditioning, setbacks snowball. If that happens, expect United to reassess winter plans and consider defensive reinforcement options while Argentina resets expectations for competitive minutes. Given his importance, the staff on both sides will claim caution - but this call-up already shows they are willing to roll the dice.

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Conclusion

I have no problem saying this as someone who has played through too many international breaks - this is a rival’s dream scenario. United’s most press-resistant defender is now juggling travel fatigue and proof-of-fitness training away from the club. If he sails through, fair play. United become harder to beat overnight. But anyone who has fought back from repeated setbacks knows the danger zone is not day one - it is the second and third pitch sessions, when the adrenaline returns and the load sneaks up.

Argentina want him in their rhythm. He wants to feel like himself again. I respect both. Still, if you asked me to bet, I would say the true return to top form is weeks away, not days. United should plan for more patchwork at the back while hoping this gamble does not burn them again. For their rivals, the longer this drags, the better. For Martínez, the mission is simple - survive the week, stack clean sessions, then let the player who won a World Cup reappear without the stop-start soundtrack.