Ruben Amorim has made his position clear regarding Lisandro Martinez’s future at Manchester United, following surprise reports linking the defender with a move to Napoli.
Martinez has been a key figure at Old Trafford since joining from Ajax in 2022 for over £50 million, reuniting with Erik ten Hag. When fit, the Argentine World Cup winner has proven to be a reliable and aggressive presence in United’s backline. However, his time at the club has been plagued by injuries.
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The 27-year-old has missed around 80 matches for club and country across the past three seasons. His latest setback—a cruciate ligament injury suffered in February—required surgery and is expected to sideline him until at least the start of the 2025/26 campaign. Some reports even suggest he may not return until early next year.
Given Martinez’s injury record and the club’s financial need to fund a rebuild, speculation grew that Amorim might be open to selling the centre-back, especially with Napoli reportedly interested. Antonio Conte, recently appointed at the Serie A club, is said to admire both Martinez and out-of-favour United winger Alejandro Garnacho, having previously brought Scott McTominay to Naples in a successful move.
However, according to Sky Sports, Amorim has no intention of letting Martinez leave. The Portuguese coach was “hugely impressed” by the defender before his injury and views him as a vital component of United’s defensive core and leadership group moving forward.
Martinez is also not interested in leaving Old Trafford. His rehabilitation is reportedly progressing well, with no damage to his meniscus, though the club is taking a cautious approach and will not rush his return until he’s fully fit.
Currently, United have just four natural centre-backs in their squad—two of whom, Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven, are teenagers—posing challenges for Amorim’s preferred back-three system.
As United look to bounce back from a disastrous campaign that saw them finish 15th in the Premier League and miss out on European football, Amorim is aiming to strengthen all areas of the squad. Much of the early transfer focus has been on the attack, with Matheus Cunha already arriving at the club.
