Man Utd’s Secret Weapon Is About to Unleash Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo

The long-awaited return of Lisandro Martinez will be music to the ears of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.

Martinez, who has not played for Manchester United since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury on February 2, is close to making a comeback after more than 260 days out.

In fact, the Argentine defender has been given the all clear on his knee, with scans showing that the injury has fully healed.

Martinez is expected to train with his teammates for the first time in eight months this week, although United are keen to take a cautious approach to reintegrating Martinez given his recent injury issues.

Still, his return will be welcomed by Ruben Amorim as his side looks to improve on their abysmal 15th place finish last season.

United have missed Martinez's distribution from the back, especially when it comes to breaking lines with progressive passes.

“We miss a lot Licha, especially in this moment, we miss his aggression in everything he does, we miss him,” Amorim said last month. “But he's always there in every meeting. In training, he sometimes finishes his and stays to watch the training."

Amorim stressed that United "need" Martinez in the team, which suggests he will replace one of either Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Maguire or Luke Shaw, who have featured regularly this season.

His presence will certainly be welcomed by United's attackers.

Before suffering the ACL injury in February, the Argentine ranked first amongst United's centre-backs in the Premier League for progressive passes (112), through balls (six) and passes into the final third (87).

At times this season, summer signings Mathues Cunha and Bryan Mbuemo have been forced to drop deep to influence games.

But with Martinez's exceptional range of passing from the back, as seen below, they could make a greater impact in more advanced positions alongside Benjamin Sesko.

"No centre back passes forward as well as he does," said one fan on the clip, while another commented: "Cunha is going to thrive in those half spaces and on the turn. The rest of the squad will feed off of Cunha."

Casemiro summed up Martinez's influence in a recent interview with United's official website.

“Licha is on the final straight,” said the Brazilian. “He is a soldier who works so hard. He is always in the gym working hard. He is a machine that works so hard. He is one of those players that loves to work hard."

Casemiro added: “He has the experience to know when to work hard. I will be so glad for his return. It’s not just me — everyone is happy — because he is an essential player at the club that works so hard.”