Manchester United centre-back Lisandro Martinez will reportedly undergo a second foot operation on Monday in a bid to cure the problem that has impacted his performances this season.
In April, the Argentina international underwent surgery to fix the fractured metatarsal that he suffered against Sevilla in the Europa League.
Martinez was subsequently out for the latter stages of the 2022-23 campaign, but he returned to action during pre-season, with the 25-year-old making six appearances this term.
The centre-back has been absent from Man United's last three games, though, and the club said on Friday that he was facing "an extended period" out of action.
According to the Daily Mail, the decision has been made for Martinez to undergo a second operation on Monday, as the South American has been struggling with pain in the area this season.
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The report claims that tests towards the end of last week demonstrated that the fracture had not healed properly, so a further operation will be required to address the problem.
Martinez is set to be unavailable for at least the next three months in a huge blow for a Man United side that have lost five of their nine matches in all competitions this season.
Speaking about the issue on Friday, Red Devils head coach Erik ten Hag admitted that the issue had caused a drop-off in Martinez's performance levels this season.
"We did a proper diagnosis, in Argentina as well, but now it came out that there was a problem. That's very sad, for him and the team, because he was not 100% fit," the manager told reporters at his press conference.
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"I think it was a big difference the Licha Martinez in the last games and the Licha Martinez we have seen in the first season here.
"He will add to the team, a really strong contributor to our levels and if already one player drops a level, the team performance will be lower."
Martinez's issue leaves Man United with four fit senior centre-backs in the shape of Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans.
Varane continues to have his own fitness problems, though, and a further injury could force the club to enter the January market for another player in that area of the field.
Man United are yet to make a statement on a possible operation for Martinez, but Ten Hag is likely to be asked about the situation when he addresses the media ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash with Galatasaray at Old Trafford.
Matt Law
