Lisandro Martinez arrives back at Man Utd with World Cup medal allowing club to end Luke Shaw centre-back experiment

LISANDRO MARTINEZ has returned to Manchester United following Argentina’s World Cup triumph.

The defender, 24, lifted the iconic World Cup trophy last month after Argentina defeated France in an action-packed final.

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Martinez returned to training wearing his World Cup medal[/caption]

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The defender won the World Cup with Argentina last month[/caption]

Following the historic victory he, along with fellow Premier League stars Emiliano Martinez and Alexis Mac Allister, was given extra time off over the Christmas period.

He returned to Carrington last week, one day after the Red Devils’ 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.

And he rocked up to training wearing his World Cup winners medal.

Martinez is expected to return to action on Tuesday when United take on Bournemouth.

During his pre-match press conference on Monday, Erik ten Hag revealed that he was “optimistic” that the defender will be ready to star.

He said: “We have to see. Both [Martinez and Scott McTominay, who has been ill] were training yesterday and today, so I am quite optimistic about them returning to the squad, both of them.”

Martinez will likely replace Luke Shaw, who has been playing out-of-position as a centre-back for the past week.

Ten Hag also praised Shaw for his “fabulous” performances in defence against Nottingham Forest and Wolves.

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He added: “We have seen the last two games. I think he did fabulous and was impressing, we know also he is really good as a left full-back but it’s an extra option and [that] is always good for a team.”

Man Utd currently sit fourth in the Premier League table, 11 points behind Arsenal.