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3rd April 2024
12:53pm BST
United have conceded the most amount of shots, from all Premier League clubs, since the turn of the year. Defensive matters are set to continue on shaky ground, though, as Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelöf have both been ruled out of action 'for at least a month'.
With Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia still out, and both Raphaël Varane and Jonny Evans still injury doubts, the club will have to reach into their reserve (U23) and academy squads, over the coming weeks. The club has released the following statement on the latest set of players to be sidelined. It reads:
"Victor Lindelöf and Lisandro Martínez will be out of action for at least a month due to muscle injuries. Lindelöf was withdrawn during the second half of last Saturday’s Premier League game against Brentford with a hamstring problem.
"Victor was replaced by Martínez after 69 minutes, as the Argentina international made his first appearance since early February. Unfortunately, Licha has now sustained a calf strain in training and is unavailable for the next few games."
Varane is thought to have received a concussive blow against Brentford, which forced him off at half-time. That would make him highly doubtful to start against Chelsea, on Thursday. Harry Maguire is the only fully fit senior centre-back at the club. Options for the centre of defence are Evans, Willy Kambwala or dropping Casemiro or Scott McTominay back. In the recent FA Cup win over Liverpool, Bruno Fernandes finished the game out as an emergency centre-back.
The latest Lisandro Martinez is a real blow to Erik ten Hag and his Manchester United side. The 26-year-old is a first-choice defensive option for ten Hag but three separate injuries have limited him to only nine starts, this season.
The club are aware of the need to re-tool their defence, next season and beyond, and have been linked with three promising young players ahead of the summer transfer window.
The Daily Mail are not the first outlet to link United to Everton and England defender, Jarrad Branthwaite. The 21-year-old is on the radar of several leading Premier League sides.
However, the Mail is also reporting that 'Boca Juniors and Argentine 18-year-old Aaron Anselmino and 19-year-old Barcelona and Senegal international Mikayil Faye are on their wishlist for defensive reinforcements' in the summer.
Added to a report in The Sun that United are tracking Port Vale and England underage striker, Baylee Dipepa, it seems the club will be mixing established players with young prospects in their summer 2024 transfer plans.
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