Manchester United’s win percentage with and without Lisandro Martinez

Manchester United will be without indispensable figure at the back Lisandro Martinez for the foreseeable future after it was confirmed his injury will rule him out for the rest of the 2022/23 campaign.

The northwest club certainly had a night to forget against Sevilla in the Europa League as a calamitous closing ten minutes saw two late own goals ponder past David de Gea when realistically they should have entered the second leg brimming with confidence.

Marcel Sabitzer thrived in his more advanced role and bagged a brace within 21 minutes, but a combination of poor defending and unfortunate forthcomings meant the score was levelled late on.

Another issue arose on the night for Erik ten Hag as both first-choice members of his go-to centre-back partnership were dragged off with injuries. Though the extent of his issue was initially unknown, it has been revealed Martinez won’t feature again this season.

With season-defining games on the horizon, Ten Hag and co will have to brainstorm and muster up a makeshift partnership at the back as his side remain involved on all three fronts: the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the Europa League.

In all competitions this season, United’s win rate when Martinez has featured stands at a measly 66%, which is concerning given his arrival was meant to steady United’s defensive ship.

United have lost a total of seven games and drawn seven with Martinez patrolling at the back. Most memorably, Martinez was involved when his side were handed a 7-0 drubbing at the hands of their arch-rivals Liverpool and when they shipped six to Manchester City.

The introduction of Martinez has made a damning improvement to United’s domestic defensive record, given that he has started in the majority of their Premier League fixtures.

United would have to concede 20 goals in the remaining nine fixtures to match their underwhelming defensive record from last season, so it’s evident the addition of Martinez has been as influential as head coach Ten Hag would have hoped.

To much surprise, the 20-time Premier League champions are – statistically – better off without their beloved Argentina international. In contrast to when he is in the team, United’s win percentage increases to 83%, having lost just one game from 12.

Martinez’s absence has often forced Ten Hag to resort to re-introducing Harry Maguire or Victor Lindelof to proceedings. Albeit a left-back by trade, Luke Shaw has also deputised more centrally when options have bared thin.

The injury could possibly be a blessing in disguise. United accrued a 100% win percentage (5/5) the last time Martinez missed a run of games, scoring 12 goals and conceding just two in that time.

Raphael Varane partnered Shaw in four of those games, and an old school partnership of Maguire and Lindelof started the other. The latter duo is likely to feature in the foreseeable future.

However, it’s crucial to understand that statistics fail to paint the full picture and that Martinez has been a phenomenal acquisition in a revived United team.

Numbers don’t lie, however, so maybe the rest of the season is not in jeopardy as much as fans believe. Erik ten Hag has no need to fret and should take solace in United’s proven coping ability without their formidable duo at the centre of the backline.

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How United fare without their ball-playing centre-back is yet to be seen, but their summer signing’s unavailability will undeniably be a chink in Ten Hag’s armour.

That being said, Maguire and Lindelof have won four of their five starts together this term, with their singular shortfall coming against Real Sociedad in Europe.