Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has confirmed that central defender Lisandro Martinez will undergo a second foot operation.
On Sunday evening, it was reported that the decision had been made for the Argentina international to have surgery on the same foot that he damaged earlier this year.
Martinez initially underwent an operation in April to fix the fractured metatarsal that he suffered while representing the Red Devils in the Europa League against Sevilla.
The 25-year-old was back for the start of pre-season, and he has made six appearances for the 20-time English champions in the opening weeks of the new campaign.
Martinez has missed Man United's last three matches in all competitions, though, and the club said on Friday that he would now be missing for "an extended period".
The South American is said to have aggravated the issue against Arsenal at the start of September, and he has allegedly been in constant pain with the issue since.
Scans are believed to have revealed that Martinez's initial operation was unsuccessful in terms of fully addressing the problem, and he will now undergo surgery on the same area.
Man United have not provided a statement or given a timeframe, but various reports have indicated that he is likely to be unavailable for selection for the next three months.
Ten Hag was asked about the situation during his press conference on Monday and revealed that the centre-back would be undergoing an operation.
"I can confirm, yeah. Licha Martinez will undergo surgery and the team news is Antony can probably return," said the manager ahead of Tuesday's clash with Galatasaray.
Man United still have four senior centre-backs, as Harry Maguire stayed over the summer despite being strongly linked with an exit, while Jonny Evans returned to the club, penning a one-year contract.
Raphael Varane is a certainty in the middle of the defence when fit and available, while Victor Lindelof is next in line, with Maguire and Evans expected to remain on the bench.
Man United will be bidding to bounce back from Saturday's 1-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace in the Premier League when they welcome Galatasaray to Old Trafford in the Champions League.
Antony is in line to return to the squad, with the Brazil international back with the club after a leave of absence to address allegations of abuse which have been made against him. body check tags ::
