Manchester United trio have already shown Rúben Amorim an unorthodox way to replace Lisandro Martínez

Rúben Amorim has already been shown an unorthodox way of replacing Lisandro Martínez with the Manchester United defender out for the season due to a knee injury.

Manchester United’s 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday evening was already a significant setback for Rúben Amorim and his squad, but the night took a far worse turn with an injury blow that could have serious repercussions.

In the 82nd minute, Lisandro Martínez challenged Palace winger Ismaïla Sarr for a 50/50 ball but collapsed awkwardly, his knee twisting in a worrying manner. Replays highlighted the unnatural movement, immediately raising concerns.

The Argentine defender remained on the pitch for several minutes, clearly in pain and visibly distressed as five medics attended to him. Eventually, he was stretchered off, with Matthijs de Ligt coming on in his place.

Martínez has been a key pillar of Amorim’s defence, starting 15 of United’s last 16 matches and contributing two goals and an assist in 2025. Losing him will be a huge blow for United.

An unorthodox way to replace Martinez

There has been a lot of talk surrounding United’s wing-backs under Amorim, with many feeling Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui do not fit the bill under the new head coach.

However, with Amad having performed brilliantly on the right and Patrick Dorgu recruited to fill the spot on the left, Amorim may be able to use his old wing-backs in defence instead.

Of all the right-footed players in Amorim’s defensive unit, Mazraoui is probably the most comfortable on his left and has performed well when asked to in the back three, so should fresh recruit Ayden Heaven not be ready to step up and replace Martínez, the Moroccan international could do the trick.

However, this leaves a slight problem in that Mazraoui has been Amorim’s back-up option as a right centre-back, with Matthijs de Ligt having looked uncomfortable at points there and Leny Yoro’s game-time being managed.

However, Dalot has already shown that he may be fit to play the role Mazraoui previously occupied, having acted admirably as a right centre-back against Rangers last month.

In this case, with Mazraoui and Dalot being used to cover the defensive issues, Amad would need to then slot back into the wing-back position on the right, although he has proved many times that he can excel there until the club buys a more specialist player for that flank.

However, there are also more traditional replacements for Martínez, too.

Read More: Dorgu and Heaven decisions made amid injury blow – Manchester United predicted squad vs Leicester City

Harry Maguire played as a left centre-back in a back two many times under Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Erik ten Hag, while Victor Lindelöf could also provide cover.

De Ligt tends to perform best in the middle of the back three, while Leny Yoro is most proficient on the right, although he can also play on the left if necessary due to his athleticism and versatility as a young player.

Luke Shaw is also expected to have a go at replacing Martínez once the England international returns from injury. However, he has received multiple setbacks since he was first out in December and is not expected to return to training until next week at the earliest.

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Wednesday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.