Lisandro Martinez injury: Manchester United defender's season is over, now manager Erik ten Hag must adjust

Just as United hit a crowded run of matches, the injuries are coming fast and thick at Old Trafford

Lisandro Martinez's first season at Manchester United came to a disappointing end Thursday. He will sidelined with a fractured metatarsal for the rest of the season, the team announced Friday. With the Red Devils still competing in three competitions, getting another blow to their depth has put Erik ten Hag in a tough spot. Marcus Rashford, Raphael Varane, Luke Shaw, Alejandro Garnacho and Martinez are all sidelined for varying amounts of time while the games are getting compressed for United.

"While Lisandro's first season at United has sadly come to a premature end, it will remain a memorable one for the center back having made 45 club appearances whilst establishing himself as a firm fan favorite and helping the team to win the Carabao Cup," Manchester United said in a club statement. "In December, Martinez became only the fifth United player to win the World Cup, as Argentina beat France in the Qatar 2022 final."

While they'll face a relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest team Saturday, the Sevilla team that pulled off a comeback at Old Trafford are also close to the relegation zone in La Liga. Ten Hag will also need to consider an April 20 return leg against Sevilla before facing Brighton on the 23rd in the FA Cup. United are a club that had dreams of a treble but with key players missing across the pitch they run a chance of falling out of the remaining competitions as a critical clash in the top four race looms against Tottenham on April 27.

Just over two weeks could determine the outcome of the entire season and one of United's most crucial defensive pieces won't be available. 

Like United, Marinez's season got off to a rocky start but once he got going, he has been able to cover an immense amount of ground in defense. Behind a shield of Casemiro and alongside a steady Varane, United were able to go on a run where if they scored the first goal, the match was over. Even if the team made mistakes, they had enough in defense to make up for it and to keep the attack rolling. 

But with their depth dwindling before ten Hag's eyes, how can he navigate through this stretch? Wout Weghorst has yet to score a Premier League goal for United, the defense is suspect with Maguire in the middle, and the chance creation goes down without Shaw. 

Ten Hag has been praised for his in-game adjustments for United but getting through this current stretch of matches unscathed will be his biggest accomplishment yet. In a team built on pressing, can they adjust to win matches in a more conservative fashion? The top four and in turn, the types of players who they can target during the summer hangs in the balance.