Ruben Amorim confirms new Lisandro Martinez injury is 'serious situation' | OneFootball

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim described Lisandro Martinez's injury as a "serious situation" after the Argentine centre-back was stretchered off against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

The Red Devils had already fallen behind to Jean-Philippe Mateta's close-range opener by the time Martinez was left crumpled in a heap. The front-footed defender had tangled with Ismaila Sarr and his knee appeared to buckle under his own weight.

There was a considerable delay while Martinez was examined by United's medical department before he was carried off on a stretcher with tears streaking down his cheeks.

"We are going to see in the next days but I think it is a serious situation," Amorim told Sky Sports immediately after the 2-0 defeat. "He is not only a great player but a strong character in the dressing room. He felt it and when you are a player, you know when it is something serious. We are here to help him in this difficult moment like he has helped us."

Diogo Dalot was quickly concerned for his prone teammate / Carl Recine/GettyImages

Amorim blamed Martinez's removal for his team's sluggish conclusion. Following the centre-back's enforced departure, Leny Yoro was moved on to the left-hand side of United's back three. This jumbled rejig may have contributed to the chronic miscommunication which saw Harry Maguire play Daniel Munoz onside. Palace's rampaging wing-back had oceans of space to square for Mateta to double the visitors' advantage in the 89th minute.

"The result is really bad," Amorim conceded. "The performance was a little bit better than the last games. We controlled the transitions quite well for Crystal Palace. We suffered two goals that we can avoid and the injury on Lisandro Martinez was tough for the team."

United have slipped back into 13th place in an unflattering Premier League table.