Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez is expected to sit out Argentina’s 2026 World Cup qualifier against Ecuador overnight following his injury-related withdrawal from the Premier League defeat to Arsenal last weekend.
Martinez was replaced midway through the second half, with United ultimately finishing the game with Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans paired at centre-back, with Victor Lindelof also going off and manager Erik ten Hag already without Raphael Varane beforehand.
Lionel Scaloni had called World Cup winner Martinez into the Argentina squad for the upcoming games against Ecuador and Bolivia and the United defender has still linked up with the group.
The injury is not thought to be a major problem and Scaloni described United taking him off when they did as a “precaution” rather than anything more serious. But taking part against Ecuador in Buenos Aires as the World Cup holders kick off their new qualifying campaign is probably too soon.
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“Licha, as you know, had an issue with his feet,” Scaloni said, via ManUtd.com. “In the last game [at Arsenal], he was in pain and went out for precaution. They have done studies and he’s well.
“We’ll evaluate whether to use him or not. It’d be a little rushed [for the first match against Ecuador]. We’ll see for the second match [against Bolivia].”
Alejandro Garnacho is also in the Argentina squad looking to add to his two senior caps during this international break. The 19-year-old, although born in Spain, switched international allegiance to Argentina in 2022 and made his senior debut against Australia three months ago.
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