Manchester United centre-back Lisandro Martinez has revealed that his recovery from a second foot operation this year is "going amazingly", with the Argentine closing in on a return to action.
The World Cup winner has played just six times for the Red Devils this season, with his last outing coming against Brighton & Hove Albion in the middle of September.
Martinez initially underwent an operation in April to fix the fractured metatarsal that he suffered while facing Sevilla in the Europa League, and he was back for the start of pre-season training.
However, the surgery failed to fully fix the problem, and having suffered with pain in the area in the early stages of this term, he underwent another operation.
Man United head coach Erik ten Hag recently said that he is expecting to have the 25-year-old available in the middle of January, and Martinez has revealed that he is closing in on a return to action.
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"Well, I am really good, I am really good, honestly," Martinez told club media. "My rehab is going amazingly, in the way that I want, I am feeling strong, doing everything right with Ibra [Ibrahim Kerem] the physio, he has been amazing.
"And also the medical department, they take care of me from day one so it was really important. Yeah, all is perfect for me.
"Definitely, we need to be patient, we need to be patient. I know that I will be back soon, very soon. It takes time, we need to be patient.
"It is tough, so tough, especially when you had two injuries, almost six or seven months, it is really, really tough. But I feel strong from my mind. I get really good values from my family, to never give up, so this has only made me even stronger. It is tough, so tough, but there are no excuses.
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"It is part of football also and we need to accept it, be humble. It is a time to work even harder, in the gym, improving, doing analysis, doing tactics, in the things that we can improve on the pitch.
"As a person as well, I love to improve that part because, for everybody, if you improve then automatically you will see it on the pitch. I love this club and I love this place. I feel so grateful to be here every day and I love to spend time with physios, the kit men, with my teammates, with everybody.
"I also like to talk with everybody, to listen, to improve. Because I think you can bring a lot of things from everybody. It doesn't mean that you have to be only a footballer.
"That is really good and also I spent time with my family in Argentina. It was really important for me to get that love from my family. I love my family as well, so it was really important for me."
Martinez, who played 45 times for the Red Devils during the 2023-24 campaign, could potentially be back for Man United's Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur on January 14.
Matt Law
