Manchester United centre-back Lisandro Martinez will miss the rest of the season after fracturing the metatarsal bone in his foot.
The 25-year-old suffered the injury in United’s 2-2 draw with Sevilla in the quarter-finals of the Europa League on Thursday.
Erik ten Hague’s side were reduced to 10 men when Martinez assisted United with a 2-1 lead in the 86th minute.
Martinez’s centre-back partner Rafael Varane also picked up an injury and is expected to be out for a few weeks.
“Everyone at Manchester United sends our best wishes to Lisandro and Rapha for a speedy recovery,” the club said.
Martinez, who won the World Cup with Argentina, was helped off the pitch at Old Trafford by Sevilla’s Gonzalo Montel and Marcos Acuna, his international teammates.
He was then placed on a stretcher and taken for treatment.
Martinez joined United from Ajax last July in a deal worth up to £57m and has made 27 Premier League appearances for United this season.
France defender Varane, who joined the club from Real Madrid in August 2021, has made 21 league appearances this season.
He suffered an injury just before half-time and was replaced at the break by Harry Maguire.
United are fourth in the Premier League with nine games remaining and the club are still in the FA Cup as well as the Europa League.
Speaking ahead of United’s league match against Nottingham Forest on Sunday, manager ten Hague said: “We have very good centre-halves. We have proved in the past and this season that we have four or five very good centre-halves. Do whatever you want.”
Center backs Maguire and Victor Lindelof are likely options to fill in for Martinez and Varane.
Left-back Luke Shaw, who has played at centre-back at times this season, has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury but ten Hague said the England international could return on Sunday.
The club is also without top scorer Marcus Rashford, who sustained a muscle injury in United’s win over Everton on Saturday.
After the Forest game, United travel to Sevilla on Thursday for their Europa League quarter-final return and face Brighton three days later in the FA Cup semi-final, for which Maguire is suspended. .
