Michael Carrick provides Lisandro Martinez update ahead of Man Utd v Leeds

Lisandro Martinez has missed Manchester United’s last five games with a calf problem (Picture: Getty)

Michael Carrick has provided a positive update on Lisandro Martinez’s fitness ahead of Manchester United’s clash with Leeds, suggesting the defender should be in line to play a part at Old Trafford.

Martinez has missed United’s last five matches due to a calf injury, last featuring in the side’s 1-1 draw away to West Ham in the Premier League on February 10.

There had initially been hopes that Martinez could make his comeback for United’s match with Aston Villa last month, only for the 28-year-old centre-back to suffer a frustrating setback in training .

It meant the Argentina international also had to sit out the Red Devils’ 1-1 draw with Bournemouth before the international break, with Leny Yoro continuing his run in the side alongside Harry Maguire.

But Maguire’s sending off at the Vitality Stadium means the England centre-half will be suspended for next Monday’s contest versus Leeds – and Martinez has been stepping up his rehabilitation in a race to be back fit.

United fans breathed a collective sigh of relief as Martinez was included in Carrick’s 25-man squad for this week’s intensive training camp in the Republic of Ireland.

Patrick Dorgu also made the trip across the Irish Sea following a long injury layoff and there are hopes that he, too, could be in contention to play a part at the Theatre of Dreams in five days’ time.

Martinez is currently training with United’s squad in the Republic of Ireland (Picture: Getty)

Maguire will miss United’s clash with Leeds after his sending off against Bournemouth (Picture: Getty)

‘The break has actually worked in our favour in some ways in terms of getting players back,’ Carrick said in an interview with United’s in-house media team .

‘Mason [Mount] is back in and around it and has been training. He’s had that period of time to build it up.

‘To have Licha [Martinez] back in and around us this week is good

‘Obviously Harry [Maguire] is going to miss the [Leeds] game so to have Licha back in and around it, with Leny [Yoro] and Ayden [Heaven], we just want to keep getting stronger as a group really.

‘That’s part of what we’re trying to do this week.’

United sit third in the Premier League table after a remarkable resurgence under Carrick (Picture: Getty)

Carrick was relieved that all of his players returned unscathed from international duty, with the camp in ‘good spirits’ in preparation for their all-important run-in in the Premier League.

‘The break was fine. I spent one or two days at home but we’ve had plenty of training as well with the boys that were with us,’ he added.

‘It’s been a good spell really for that really, players going all over the world, and it was nice to have them back.

‘The boys are in good spirits so it’s good to have them back together again.

The Red Devils play host to bitter rivals Leeds next Monday evening (Picture: Getty)

‘At the moment, everyone is in good shape which is pleasing because you never really know with them going away, some playing two games and some might not play an awful lot of minutes.

‘You want everyone to come back safe and sound, thankfully, at the moment, everyone’s in good shape.

‘It’s important we come here [Republic of Ireland] and refocus, regroup. We’ve come away and the boys are in really good spirits so it’s good.

‘Big run-in for us, important games coming up. The boys are really focused on that now.’

Leeds will be brimming with confidence after a thrilling win over West Ham to reach the FA Cup semi-finals (Picture: Getty)

After an extended break away from the Premier League , Carrick is confident his squad will be feeling recharged and energised by the time they take to the field against bitter rivals Leeds.

‘The 24-day gap seems like a long time but factoring in the internationals, it’s worked out alright to be honest,’ the United head coach went on.

‘Players are still playing, training, going away and getting a bit of a fresh environment as well, not having to rush back from internationals.

‘It’s given the boys an extra few days to spend time with their families or wherever they’ve ended up being.

United’s squad are in ‘good spirits’, says Carrick (Picture: Getty)

‘It doesn’t feel as long and we’ve ended up with a good week of prep going into Leeds on Monday night which is pretty normal, so I think we’ve made the best of it.’

Despite dropping points in their last encounter, Carrick believes his Champions League-chasing squad have put themselves in a strong position with seven games remaining of the campaign.

‘We’ve certainly built momentum. It’s a challenging league and you can see that, whoever you’re playing, there’s not many easy games, if any, in this league,’ he continued.

‘You can see the mixture of results so I think to expect everything to go swimmingly is not always that realistic.

‘We understand that it’s not always going to come easy and there might be a few little blips and ups and downs. It’s not what we strive for but it’s going to happen at some point.

‘But we’ve managed to create that momentum and especially at home, we’ve played ever so well and had some big results.

‘We’re certainly looking forward to getting back to Old Trafford . It’s such a big, important game for us.’

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