Manchester United could unleash shock first team signing after serious injury blow

If Manchester United's performance against Crystal Palace was bad enough, things got even worse when Lisandro Martinez suffered what looked like a serious knee injury. The Argentine was in tears as he was stretched off the pitch in another huge blow to head coach Ruben Amorim.

Martinez had struggled for consistency earlier in the season but has been United's in-form defender as of late, making a key contribution at either end of the pitch, with his ability to start attacks just as impressive as his ability to thwart them. The 27-year-old is going to be a huge miss to the United side given his unique characteristics as a left-footed ball-player, who helps balance the backline.

Luke Shaw looks the most natural replacement for Martinez in the backline, though United won't want to rush him back from injury after only three substitute appearances all season. It means Amorim could give youth a chance, starting with their home match against Leicester in the FA Cup this week.

United could unleash shock first team signing

A key reason why United won the race to sign Arsenal defender Ayden Heaven was due to their development plan for the teenager and the promise of first team opportunities. The 18-year-old might not be ready to start games just yet, but United clearly have high hopes for the centre-back after they unveiled him as a first team signing, rather than a youth team one.

Ahead of the Palace defeat, Heaven was paraded on the Old Trafford pitch alongside Patrick Dorgu and the duo could both be involved when United host Leicester in the FA Cup on Friday night. As a left-footed central defender, Heaven could get opportunities while Martinez is injured, with Shaw and Jonny Evans the only other natural replacements in that position.

Amorim will also likely utilise Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt in the role, though with a busy fixture schedule, there could be a chance for the teenager to make his debut sooner rather than later.

What Amorim said about Martinez injury

Speaking after the home defeat to Palace, Amorim issued an update on Martinez: "Yes, hard day for the team, for the fans. We lose again. I think we improve in some areas of the game, we control better the game, we had more possession, we had situations but we suffer two goals we can avoid. Licha is really important for us, not just as a football player, but as a character, especially in this hard moment, now it’s time to help Licha like he’s doing for so long. I think it’s a bad situation, let’s wait to assess things with the doctor but I think it’s a serious situation."

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