Manchester United vs Leeds: Lisandro Martinez Remains in Line for Elland Road Test
Manchester United are not taking the obvious route. Lisandro Martinez will not be dropped for Sunday’s trip to Leeds, despite a week in which he managed to drag the club’s internal tensions into public view after the 2-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid.
The Argentina defender went after the hierarchy, singled out recruitment and questioned the application of some team-mates. That tends to leave a mark. It reportedly caused friction inside the dressing room, and at least one colleague is said to have challenged him. Even so, United have decided this is not the moment to exile him.
Martinez has apologised after talks with senior figures at the club and is understood to have been fined. More importantly for Michael Carrick, he remains available as United head to Elland Road looking for a first win in six matches in all competitions. Pressure builds quickly at Old Trafford, and it builds even faster when performances and results are both poor.
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Michael Carrick Draws Line Under Martinez Row
Carrick was direct enough. “It’s done,” Carrick said of the Martinez saga on Friday. “We’ve moved on from that. It was one of those things. As a group we’ve moved on. It’s really not a drama for the group. The squad have trained really well and they are in good spirits.
“It was pretty simple. We understood the situation. Licha [Martinez] understood he made a mistake. We have a really good felling from the club. Results wise it hasn’t gone our way, but the spirit and togetherness, we can see in the group we want to do something with this situation.
“We’ve moved on. Genuinely. There is a freshness about the group. He [Martinez] is available.”
That is the official line, and for now it is the only one that matters. Carrick needs stability, not theatre. Dropping Martinez would have extended the story. Picking him closes it, at least for one weekend.
Bruno Fernandes Set for Central Role
United are expected to restore Bruno Fernandes to his natural No 10 position after using him on the right in Madrid, an experiment that never looked especially convincing. If Carrick follows that plan, Youri Tielemans may lose his place, while Carlos Baleba and Kobbie Mainoo could anchor midfield if Mainoo is fit enough to return.
Further forward, Bryan Mbeumo may shift wide again to make room for Matheus Cunha, who was left unused in midweek. There is also some relief in defence. Noussair Mazraoui has returned to training and could help ease a stretched back line, while Luke Shaw remains a doubt.
Manchester United Team News and Predicted XI
The longer-term absentees are clearer. Benjamin Sesko, Patrick Dorgu, Manuel Ugarte and Tom Heaton are all still out.
Predicted Manchester United XI, 4-2-3-1: Lammens, Shaw, Heaven, Maguire, Dalot, Andrey Santos, Baleba, Rashford, Fernandes, Mbeumo, Cunha.
Doubts: Mainoo, Shaw, Mazraoui.
Injured: Sesko, Dorgu, Ugarte, Heaton.
Kick-off is 2pm BST on Sunday, October 18, 2026, at Elland Road. For United, the situation is simple. Enough noise, enough excuses, enough drift. They need a result.