Former Premier League defender Ashley Young has expressed doubts about the nature of Lisandro Martínez’s injury, questioning whether the defender is genuinely injured.
Speaking during an appearance on the Overlap regarding Martínez’s halftime substitution during Manchester United’s draw against Leeds United on Sunday, October 18, 2026, Young stated that while there was hype surrounding the situation following his outburst and attack on the club’s hierarchy, the whole plan to play him at Leeds before taking him off at halftime could have been calculated.
According to the former Aston Villa man, the defender or the setup is employing a physical issue as an excuse or cover following a difficult first-half performance.
Play him, then let him come out
“A lot was said all week about him, so instead of creating more hype around him being left out (after that outburst) and having that be the main talking point before and after the game, the plan was to play him and then let him come off at halftime, possibly with the explanation that it is an injury,” Young claimed.
Young questioned whether Martínez was genuinely injured when he came off at the break, suggesting that the defender or the setup might have used a physical issue as an excuse or cover following a difficult first-half performance.
“Is he injured?” the former defender probed. “If he is injured, then it is understandable why he obviously does not play against Como. But I am not sure. Going to Leeds away is always tough, and with the week he had, it was always going to be difficult.”
“Michael had said he did not want anything more coming back to him, and that could be the reason he played him against Leeds,” he explained.
The Argentine centre back is among the keystars set to miss the Como clash after he pulled out midway through the Leeds encounter. Carrick has also explained that defender Ayden Heaven, who missed the Leeds matchday squad after falling ill, and Luke Shaw are being monitored alongside Kobbie Maino after being unavailable for the club’s last two matches.
Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford is continuing to manage an injury problem, while there has been some encouragement for United with Matthijs de Ligt returning to training.
The Dutch defender has yet to feature since undergoing surgery for a back problem, leaving his involvement against Como uncertain.
