'We can only pray' - Lisandro Martinez facing another lengthy spell out at Man Utd as Erik ten Hag confirms 'very bad' injury blow after West Ham victory

Martinez hobbled off with a suspected knee injury after coming back on to the pitch during the victory over the Hammers and showing a bit of pain. And Ten Hag did not hide the fact he was very worried about his defender.

"Very bad for him, very bad for the team," Ten Hag told the BBC. "It seems bad, we have to wait and make the right diagnosis. In this moment we are very sad, hopefully it is not too bad but we can only pray. It looks like he has to sit some games out injured again."

Martinez was one of United's most influential players last season but suffered a fractured metatarsal in April. He returned in August after surgery but broke down again just a month later and had to undergo another operation. He finally recovered in January and looked to be back to his best, giving a dominant performance against Wolves and West Ham. But after just four matches back in the team he could be set for another long spell on the sidelines.

"I can’t say but it doesn’t look good. There is a bad concern. We have to wait for a few days for the diagnosis," Ten Hag added in a press conference. "We do everything to get the right diagnosis and see what is the damage. He is very sad, very disappointed. We all feel really with him. First of all it is a personal disaster when it is really bad but also for the team it is really bad because he definitely brings us a lot."

The Red Devils will be anxiously awaiting more details on Martinez's injury, which comes at a time when Ten Hag was just about to have most of his squad available again after an injury-ravaged season. United are next in action away to Aston Villa on February 11.