Manchester United have been dealt a blow as they will be without Lisandro Martinez for Sunday’s Premier League clash against Aston Villa, as per reports.

Martinez picked up a calf injury in training following Manchester United’s 1-1 draw against West Ham United last month. At the time, head coach Michael Carrick said it was a ‘small issue’ and that the defender ‘won’t be out for very long’.

However, Martinez has missed the Red Devils’ last three league games and is likely to sit out at least one more.

According to the Daily Mail, Martinez suffered a slight reaction back on the training ground at Carrington and is expected to miss the upcoming league match against Villa. The report adds that the issue isn’t deemed serious, but Manchester United are taking a cautious approach and do not want to rush the Argentine back into the squad.

“Sources insist the problem isn’t too serious, but Martinez suffered a slight reaction in training and it was decided to take a more cautious approach with his recovery. United want to avoid a similar situation with Martinez to Matthijs de Ligt, who hasn’t played since the end of November.”

The setback couldn’t have come at a worse time, as United are in a tightly contested race for Champions League football. That means the Old Trafford outfit find themselves even shorter of options in central defence. Prior to Martinez’s setback, Manchester United has been without Matthijs de Ligt since the end of November after he suffered a back injury.

“It’s the one we’re looking forward to” – Carrick on Manchester United’s preparation for Aston Villa

Carrick relished Sunday’s high-stakes contest at Old Trafford and stressed the importance of winning. The former midfielder was handed his first defeat in charge last time out – a 2-1 loss to Newcastle United.

“It’s an important game,” Carrick told club reporter Mikey Partington. “It’s one we’re looking forward to, you know. We’ve manoeuvred ourselves into such a good position now and it’s been a positive couple of months that we want to build on.

“We’re coming off the back of losing a game, but it happens, we’ve seen pretty much everyone over recent weeks has lost. So that’s what this league brings and we’re putting things in perspective and understanding what we can do a little bit better. But the boys have been really good in training again and just looking forward to the next game.”

Ahead of the match, Manchester United sit third while Aston Villa sit fourth in the table.