Manchester United‘s defensive woes have deepened with the news that Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof are both set to miss at least a month of action due to injury and that could rule them out of Arsenal’s trip to Old Trafford.

This is a particularly bitter blow for Martinez, who only recently returned from an eight-week absence due to knee ligament damage. The Argentine defender, who has endured a stop-start season with injuries, played just 21 minutes as a substitute in Saturday’s draw at Brentford before pulling a calf muscle in training the following day.

Lindelof, who replaced Martinez after the latter’s injury on Saturday, has also been ruled out with a hamstring issue. This comes after the Swedish international missed two months earlier in the season due to groin surgery.

While both players are expected to return before the end of the campaign, their absence creates a significant headache for manager Erik ten Hag. With Jonny Evans and Luke Shaw also sidelined, United are left with just Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire as fit senior central defenders.

This defensive crisis comes at a crucial time for United, who face a tough run of fixtures including upcoming matches against Chelsea and Liverpool. They are also still in contention for the FA Cup, with a semi-final clash against Coventry City looming later this month.

Arsenal travel to Old Trafford on 11 May when they will hope to still be in the title race with just one match left after this one.