Licha, who goes by the nickname ‘The Butcher’ for his killer instinct on the field, is suspected to be out for a really long period of time. It was during the 81st minute of Manchester United’s 0-2 home loss to Crystal Palace, when the incident happened.
The Argentine defender is often hailed by his supporters for his fearless attitude in throwing his body for last-ditch tackles. It was one such signature Lisandro Martinez tackle on Ismaila Sarr, which can now cost the former Ajax man the rest of his 2024/25 season.
Licha was in tears and had to leave the field on a stretcher. It was clearly not a sight United head coach Ruben Amorim or the Reds would have liked to see or deal comfortably. Ever since he was brought to Old Trafford by ETH, Lisandro has become a fan favourite.
Even during the Amorim era, he has mostly started the important games and provided the much-needed solidity to the United backline. His composure in tight spaces and sheer readiness in 1v1 situations, was an asset for the team.
With United embarking on a kind run of fixtures now, he could have been a smart asset in fantasy. Licha would have been deployed with defensive duties against Spurs, Everton, Ipswich, and Leicester in the next five.
Just to remind you, of late he has shown his sharpness in front of the opposition goal as well. When he was gearing to come out from the tunnel to face Palace on Sunday, Licha had two goals in his last three outings for United in the Premier League. He also registered an assist against City at Etihad, in United’s first statement win under Amorim in GW16.
The Argentina international who brought the World Cup to Old Trafford two years back, was a budget pick in fantasy at just £4.4m. He was a great differential too, with an ownership not exceeding 4%.
Going by Ruben Amorim’s post-match words, his injury-situation is a grave one: “I think it is a serious situation. A bad situation for us and especially for Licha. I think we are going to see in the next days but I think it is a serious situation. It’s really hard on us, he’s not just a great player but a strong character in the dressing room. Especially in this moment, it’s hard for us.”
The fact that the Portuguese tactician went on to add a tone of sympathy hints at a terrible injury with severe implications — “Now it is time for all of us to help Licha. He felt it and, when you are a player, you know when it is serious. Let’s hope for better days for him. We are here, like I say, to help him in this difficult moment.”
Several reports have already emerged suggesting that the injury forced Licha out on a stretcher against Palace is none other than an ACL torn! This is probably the worst a player can imagine in the middle of such a tumultuous season.
We need to wait for some more time for an official update from the United management but he seems to be out for a prolonged period. And if it’s really an ACL injury, then his season is over like Gabriel Jesus. We wish him a speedy recovery but ACL injuries are the worst of the lot and if you still own him in FPL, it’s better to offload the United centre-back right away.
You can sign Everton defender Vitalii Mykolenko within the same fund. He is a top pick at the moment and was on our list of best defenders to own in double gameweek 24.
