Ruben Amorim handed new Lisandro Martinez message as Man Utd return hint emerges before Everton

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Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez has been spotted in training with Joshua Zirkzee during the November international break, sparking hope for his return to action. The Argentina centre-back has been side-lined since February due to a severe knee injury, but has recently returned to Carrington to regain full fitness.

It was reported that Martinez was handed the green light to train with Argentina during their latest international break to boost his match fitness. However, it remains uncertain whether the ex-Ajax star will be fit enough to join United's squad for Monday night's showdown against Everton .

United head coach Ruben Amorim is expected to provide an update during his pre-match press conference on Friday. And, if Zirkzee's latest Instagram story post is anything to go by, things are looking up for Martinez.

The Netherlands international shared a picture of him with Martinez and several youth team players, hinting they won a practice match, with the Argentine coming through unscathed. He posted: "Young lads made it easy for us @lisandromartinezzz."

Amorim has previously confessed he doesn't want to pin down a date for Martinez's comeback to the matchday squad. But when probed about him in late October, the Portuguese boss expressed satisfaction with the progress being made.

"He's feeling well," the ex-Sporting head coach said. "The knee is responding really well, so I don't want to say one specific day or one week.

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"I don't know, but it's near to start the training with the team. Then it depends on the rhythm of Licha, if he wins the place or not, that will depend on him, but he's closer to return to training."

The United boss has previously made clear just how much Martinez has been missed during his lengthy absence. Amorim's current centre-back options have struggled to play out from the back - a quality the World Cup winner possesses in abundance.

"We miss a lot, Licha, especially in this moment," he said. "We miss his aggression in everything he does, we miss him."

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It's little wonder, then, that United have increasingly opted to go more direct from defence; a tactic highlighted by Liverpool manager Arne Slot following his side's shock home defeat to Amorim's men last month.

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