Manchester United’s difficult start to the season has been compounded by concerns over Lisandro Martínez after he suffered an injury while on Argentina duty during the September international break. The defender had already endured a poor run of form at club level, highlighted by an own goal in United’s 1-1 draw at Fulham on 20 September.

Martínez’s own goal came in the 63rd minute at Craven Cottage. Calvin Bassey’s shot was parried by United goalkeeper Senne Lammens into Martínez’s path, and the Argentine’s attempted clearance looped into his own net. The error left United trailing until Matheus Cunha’s deflected 89th-minute strike rescued a point. It was Martínez’s third Premier League own goal for United, equalling the club’s joint-highest total alongside Wes Brown, John O’Shea, Henning Berg and Jonny Evans.

Statistically, Martínez has struggled in United’s first five league matches. Reports note he has made zero tackles so far this season and has now scored an own goal, underlining a difficult individual start as United sit 12th with five points from five games (one win, two draws, two defeats).

The injury concern arose while Martínez was playing for Argentina. He was booked with a yellow card and then went off shortly afterwards, leaving both the national team and United awaiting further assessment. Martínez previously suffered an ACL tear in early 2025, so any fresh leg problem is a significant worry for Michael Carrick’s side ahead of a busy post-break schedule.