Lisandro Martinez comeback hopes rise after Zirkzee 'easy' post

Lisandro Martinez has been training with Joshua Zirkzee during the November international break, amid hope for his return to action.

The Manchester United centre-back has been side-lined since February due to a knee injury, but has recently returned to Carrington to regain full fitness.

It was reported that Martinez was handed the green light to train with Argentina during their latest international break to boost his match fitness.

And it remains uncertain whether the ex-Ajax star will be fit enough to join United's squad for Monday night's clash against Everton.

Ruben Amorim is expected to provide an update during his pre-match press conference on Friday.

While Zirkzee shared a picture of him with Martinez and several youth team players, hinting they won a practice match, with the Argentine coming through unscathed.

He posted: "Young lads made it easy for us @lisandromartinezzz."

Amorim has so far not given a date for Martinez's comeback but when probed about him in late October, the Portuguese boss expressed satisfaction with the progress being made.

"He's feeling well," the ex-Sporting head coach said. "The knee is responding really well, so I don't want to say one specific day or one week.

"I don't know, but it's near to start the training with the team. Then it depends on the rhythm of Licha, if he wins the place or not, that will depend on him, but he's closer to return to training."

The United boss has previously made clear just how much Martinez has been missed during his lengthy absence. Amorim's current centre-back options have struggled to play out from the back - a quality the World Cup winner possesses in abundance.

"We miss a lot, Licha, especially in this moment," he said. "We miss his aggression in everything he does, we miss him."

It's little wonder, then, that United have increasingly opted to go more direct from defence; a tactic highlighted by Liverpool manager Arne Slot following his side's shock home defeat to Amorim's men last month.

However, Martinez perhaps won't simply walk back into the Reds' defensive unit. Luke Shaw has featured in every Premier League match this campaign, operating as the left-sided centre-half, and looks set to retain his position for Monday's clash with the Toffees.