Lisandro Martinez told Man Utd boss exactly what he thought of emergency position change

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Lisandro Martinez is ready to step up and continue in midfield after filling in for the injured Bruno Fernandes against Aston Villa . Martinez was summoned from the bench to play in the centre of the pitch at Villa Park and could be drafted into the same role against Newcastle on Boxing Day .

Manchester United ’s captain was forced off at half-time of their 2-1 defeat by Villa on Sunday in the Premier League and is facing a spell on the sidelines . Ruben Amorim has just three fit first-team midfielders for the upcoming visit of Newcastle to Old Trafford: Casemiro, Manuel Ugarte and Mason Mount .

The United manager handed debuts to academy graduates Jack Fletcher and Shea Lacey on Sunday, but it was Martinez who he turned to at half-time. The Argentina international defender only recently returned from 11 months on the sidelines with an ACL injury and acquitted himself well at Villa.

While Martinez is primarily a centre-back, he spent three years at Ajax where positional flexibility is coached and has filled in at left-back and midfield during his time at United, with his selfless attitude coming to the fore. “We have many good midfielders. Like I have said in many interviews, I will play wherever the coach wants to use me,” he said back in March 2023 when Erik ten Hag was short of options.

Playing Martinez in midfield was raised back in November and Amorim’s response suggested he is not particularly keen on the idea. “I can't say,” he said when asked about the possibility. “I think a smart, intelligent football player can play in a lot of positions, but it is not the right position for him.

“He needs more time to work there as he is not working there [currently]. But in one emergency he can play [there]. I am not thinking about that.”

Casemiro will return from suspension for the Newcastle game, but Kobbie Mainoo will miss the game after injury struck at the worst possible time for the 20-year-old, who has been frustrated sitting on the bench all season.

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“I will see what we’re going to do,” Amorim said on Sunday. “I think Kobbie Mainoo is out and Bruno is out. So we will see. We are going to find solutions. No excuses. We need to win the next game and we will try to win the next game.”

Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire are also on the sidelines with injuries, while Amad, Bryan Mbeumo and Noussair Mazraoui are away playing at the Africa Cup of Nations. The combination has left Amorim extremely short of options, especially considering his low opinion of the level of academy players.

Nevertheless, the United boss has confirmed he won’t turn to the January transfer window to solve the crisis. “What we cannot do is to reach January and try to do everything in urgency and make mistakes and then [it’s] ‘here we go again’ with a lot of mistakes,” Amorim said. “I’m not going to get [together] with [club chiefs] Jason [Wilcox] and Omar [Berrada] and say: ‘We need a lot of players.’ Because we have a plan.

“If we have to suffer, the club comes first. Of course, we are in a moment where we need points but we need to find solutions and we are going to continue with our plan. You can feel in this moment that we are going to struggle, but we will see. We have to deal with it.”

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