Rival view: United’s optimism on Lisandro Martínez looks premature — return likely slips beyond November break

Manchester United brief that Lisandro Martínez could feature again this calendar year, with the club planning to reintroduce him only after the November internationals. Yet the reality is stark: he remains confined to individual rehab, not integrated into full-contact sessions. That usually signals weeks, not days, from competitive readiness. From a rival lens, this is classic over-optimism to calm nerves. Even if he appears in late December, match rhythm and sharpness will lag into the new year. United’s build-up balance without their left-sided centerpiece remains shaky, and opponents will happily exploit the gap until he genuinely proves full fitness.

Club insiders indicate the defender is still restricted to individual rehabilitation work, with any squad reintegration pencilled in for after the November international window. The cautious approach reflects previous setbacks and the need to manage training load before contact sessions and match minutes are considered. The message from the camp is hope for a cameo before year’s end, but the timeline hinges on tolerance to increased intensity, medical markers, and subsequent responsiveness during progressive reconditioning phases.

🚨 NEW: Manchester United are still hopeful Lisandro Martínez will play again this calendar year. He is still doing individual sessions as part of his rehabilitation. United could wait until after the November internationals to ease Martínez back into the squad. #MUFC

@UtdXclusive

Impact Analysis

Strip away the spin and you see a team still without its most reliable left-footed centre-back, a piece that underpins their first-phase circulation and angles out of pressure. Martínez’s absence forces United to rewire their build-up, often making them easier to press on the left side and more one-dimensional in exits. On defensive transitions, his aggression to step in, compress space, and win the first duel is missing, leaving a wider gap between lines that rivals can punch through.

Even if he returns for a token appearance before the calendar flips, conditioning and decision-speed at Premier League tempo typically lag several weeks behind medical clearance. Expect conservative minutes, staggered starts, and substitution patterns that reduce continuity for the back line. That churn hurts set-piece cohesion and offside timing — areas already under scrutiny at United.

From a rival perspective, this prolongs a strategic advantage. Teams can continue to funnel pressure toward United’s weaker foot in the back line, trap in wide zones, and test aerials and cut-backs where Martínez’s anticipation usually cleans up. The psychological layer matters too: repeated “almost back” signals followed by drip-fed minutes erode dressing-room certainty and embolden opponents to target the reshuffled partnerships. In short, the on-pitch impact persists well beyond the first matchday he’s named on a bench.

Reaction

The comment stream splits into familiar camps. A pragmatic section urges patience, arguing there’s no need to rush him and that a measured return beats another breakdown. Another, far less forgiving group has reached fatigue — some even call for United to move on, citing an unreliable availability record and a contract picture they feel is trending the wrong way. That skepticism reads louder with each vague update.

There’s also the swirl of unrelated chatter: shout-outs to other performers, fantasy football detours, and celebratory posts that hijack the thread — a classic sign that the home crowd’s focus is drifting from the core issue. Meanwhile, the minority optimists insist that even a late-year cameo could lift morale and stabilize a wobbly defensive line.

From a rival vantage point, the tone is telling. When loyalists start debating whether to sell a key defender or wrap him in cotton wool, the uncertainty is already doing damage. The optics of “individual sessions” without clear milestones fuels the narrative that the comeback keeps getting nudged back. Until there’s footage of full-contact training and back-to-back sessions, skepticism will dominate the discourse.

Social reactions

This guy is always injured, should sell him, Mount and Shaw in the summer and replace

DonnyK (@MUtdreview)

No need to rush him. Hopefully when he comes back he's going to remain fit, at least for the majority of the season

AMariakani man (@_NdegwaBull)

Please, we need this lisando martinez sold as soon as possible. It's obvious that he can never be fit

Bobby (@OmosegbonIsaac)

Prediction

Expect the club to keep floating optimistic markers — “after the international break,” “back before year’s end” — while the medical team stretches the progression curve. The most probable scenario is a cautious reintroduction in late December at best: a bench appearance, a controlled 15–20 minutes, and then a staggered schedule into January. Any minor response in the foot, adductors, or hamstrings could prompt a reset, which pushes meaningful starts into late January or even February.

United, reading the room, may over-index on sports science metrics and delay double-session days to avoid flare-ups. That can be sensible, but it prolongs the period where tactical chemistry at the back never locks in. Don’t be surprised if the club frames any delay as “preventative management.” From a squad-building angle, it invites stopgap solutions: rotated pairings, conservative lines, and potential winter-window chatter about depth at centre-back.

For opponents, the blueprint remains the same: tilt the press toward United’s left-sided exit, force hurried diagonals, and flood the second ball zones. Until Martínez strings together three consecutive 90-minute outings, rival analysts will treat his availability as a bonus for United, not a baseline.

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Conclusion

United can talk up a year-end cameo all they want; the substance says otherwise. Individual rehab signals that contact readiness and repeatability under load aren’t there yet, and any attempt to accelerate risks reopening the cycle. Even if a December sighting materializes, the gap between medical clearance and competitive reliability is a chasm at this level.

From the outside, rivals won’t fear the press release — they’ll fear the version of Martínez who has rhythm, timing, and bite over consecutive matches. That player is unlikely to appear before the deep winter grind. Until then, opponents will target the left build-up channel, test aerial coverage on the back post, and stress second phases from set-plays where United’s reshuffled units are most brittle.

Bottom line: the timeline sounds like pacification, not certainty. Prove it with full-contact sessions, back-to-back starts, and durability through a congested run. Anything short of that, and this “return” remains more headline than solution.