Manchester United are set to trigger the one-year option in Lisandro Martinez’s contract to protect his value, with his long-term future yet to be determined.
According to Football Insider, Manchester United are not willing to risk allowing Lisandro Martinez to run down his current deal, with the club ready to trigger the one-year option in his contract. The extension would allow the club to retain the player’s value, while his long-term future remains uncertain and may depend on the Argentine defender proving his fitness this term.
Lisandro Martinez was a stellar signing for Manchester United when they spent £57 million to bring him from Ajax amid intense competition for the defender. While he had a productive first season at the club, making 45 appearances across all competitions, the Argentine defender has since had his share of persistent injury issues.
The fitness concerns have seen him miss more than 100 games for the club in his four years so far, according to the report. Overall, he has featured only 112 times across all competitions for the Red Devils. In his four seasons at Old Trafford, Martinez has played 27, 11, 20 and 18 Premier League games, while already starting twice in three matches so far this term.
Manchester United to trigger Martinez option
Martinez was reportedly linked with an exit from Manchester United during the summer, and given that he was about to enter the final year of his deal, a move could have made sense. However, when fit, the defender tends to start games regularly, and the club are banking on his long-term fitness.
As a matter of practice, Manchester United tend to include a club option to extend player deals by one year when they sign for the club or extend their existing contracts. That remains the case with Martinez, as Manchester United are now set to trigger the one-year extension in his deal to retain his value.
Manchester United recently decided on triggering a similar option in Bruno Fernandes’s deal to protect the skipper’s value and are about to do the same with the Argentine defender. This does not necessarily indicate the possibility of parting ways in the summer, but that could be an option if they feel the defender has run his course at Old Trafford.
Martinez needs to prove his fitness
Martinez is probably coming to a crossroads in his career, and there is a feeling that both he and Manchester United want to continue their relationship. However, the player’s fitness remains a major issue, and while he has been a regular when fit under numerous managers, the Argentine needs to demonstrate that he can stay healthy for a long time to come.
Hence, the Argentine needs to prove his fitness during the current season and play a major role for the club under Michael Carrick’s management. Should Martinez remain fit for the long haul, it could automatically improve Manchester United’s chances of achieving greater things, as they did in the second half of last season when the Argentine played a key role in the club’s third-place finish in the Premier League.