Lisandro Martinez is set to rejoin his Manchester United team-mates in training this week after a slight delay in his comeback. The Argentine has been out of action since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury during a 2-0 defeat by Crystal Palace on February 2, missing a total of 35 games for the Red Devils.

Despite hopes that Martinez would return to first-team training last week, the club has taken a cautious approach to his recovery. However, with scans showing his knee injury has fully healed, the central defender is expected to train with his team-mates for the first time in eight months. Martinez’s return will bolster manager Ruben Amorim‘s defensive options, which also include Harry Maguire, Matthijs de Ligt, Luke Shaw, Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven.

His comeback will increase competition for places in United’s three-man defence, where Martinez was previously a favoured choice.

Casemiro captured the sentiment surrounding his colleague’s imminent comeback during a chat with the club’s official website last week.

“Licha is on the final straight,” the United midfielder declared. “He is a soldier who works so hard. He is always in the gym working hard. He is a machine that works so hard. He is one of those players that loves to work hard.

“It is a pleasure to have him here, he works so much. We arrived [today] at 9am and it is now 4pm and he continues working. He has the experience to know when to work hard. I will be so glad for his return. It’s not just me, everyone is happy, because he is an essential player at the club that works so hard.”

Martinez might not have been able to feature in matches or during training sessions, but he has remained present with the squad at every opportunity.

“We miss a lot Licha, especially in this moment, we miss his aggression in everything he does, we miss him,” Amorim revealed last month.

“But he’s always there in every meeting. In training, he sometimes finishes his and stays to watch the training. We need Licha in this team.”

United take on Brighton at Old Trafford on Saturday aiming to secure a third consecutive victory following triumphs over Sunderland and Liverpool. They’re currently in ninth in the Premier League table with 13 points from eight matches.