Man Utd confirms Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez will be absent until Christmas

Manager Erik ten Hag confirmed that his two main stars, Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez, will not be able to play until at least next Christmas. Casemiro and Lisandro have both joined in the summer of 2022. Both of them also played a big role in bringing the Red Devils to win the Carabao Cup and to the FA Cup final last season. This season, Casemiro and Martinez are again top pillars in the Man Utd squad. Unfortunately, now the two South American players will not be able to take part in this important period at the end of 2023.

In a press conference ahead of the Champions League match at home to FC Copenhagen, the Dutch coach confirmed that Brazilian star midfielder and Argentine centre-back would be sidelined from the field at least until Christmas. "I have several time schedules, but it is always difficult to expect them because there could be setbacks during the rehabilitation period," said Ten Hag on Manchester United's official website.“Casemiro and Martinez have severe injuries, I don't expect them to be back before Christmas,” he added.

Casemiro suffered a hamstring injury when Mann Utd leaked three goals without reply to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup match at Old Trafford in the middle of last week. Initially, it was predicted that Casemiro would be absent for several weeks. However, now the recovery is certain to take longer. Meanwhile, Martinez has been absent since he was injured in a match versus Arsenal last September. Martinez then underwent surgery, which was his second operation this year.

The absence of Casemiro and Martinez is a major blow for Manchester United, who are still limping in the Premier League and Champions League. However, FC Copenhagen will host Manchester United on matchday 4 of Group A of the 2023/2024 Champions League. This match is scheduled to take place at Parken Stadium and will kick off on Wednesday, 8 November 2023.