Manchester United officially announced Lima's injury, with doubts over his availability for the next two weeks including the clash against Crystal Palace! Reports reveal the Red Devils’ interest in signing Tottenham’s solid defender.

Manchester United center-back Lisandro Martínez missed the Premier League away win 1-0 against Everton. After captaining the team on Boxing Day against Newcastle United and starting nine consecutive matches, the Argentine international unfortunately couldn’t extend his run. He was absent for the club's first match at Hill Dickinson Stadium, with Lenny Yaro starting in his place and young Jack Mulhouse coming on as a substitute.

Manchester United officially announced that Lima was injured during training last week while preparing for the Everton match, causing him to miss the game. According to "Jingji Net," Lima suffered a calf injury this time.

Before the match, Carrick explained: "Yes, unfortunately, he got injured during midweek. The situation doesn’t look too serious, but we need to treat him, so he can’t play tonight. Lisandro obviously has been performing excellently for the team, so his absence is disappointing. However, Lenny also did well against West Ham, so he has the chance to prove himself. We just have to look forward."

Lima has now joined the Manchester United injury list alongside De Ligt, Patrick Dogu, and Mason Mount. It remains uncertain whether he will be available for the home game against Crystal Palace on Sunday. The Manchester Evening News reports that Lima is expected to resume training later this week but it’s unclear if he will recover in time for the next match.

Reports from Jingji Net reveal that Manchester United expects Lima’s new injury to sideline him for only one or two weeks. The calf is one of the areas where Lima has previously had problems; in April 2024, he missed a month and six games due to a calf strain.

Since joining Manchester United, Lima has performed very well, but injuries have been his biggest adversary. Last November, he recovered from a severe left anterior cruciate ligament tear, an injury sustained during the February 2025 match against Crystal Palace that forced him to be sidelined for nine months.

English media report that due to the injury-prone tendencies of both center-backs Lima and De Ligt, Manchester United must consider signing new players. Although 20-year-olds Yaro and Eden Haven are seen as promising talents, relying on them alone to bear the defensive burden in the Premier League might not ensure stability.

De Ligt was ever-present early in the season but then suffered a back injury and has been sidelined since November. The 26-year-old Dutch defender has missed five spells at Manchester United and frequently dealt with injuries during his time at Juventus and Bayern Munich.

TEAMtalk’s Premier League transfer expert Fraser Fletcher reports that Manchester United has strong interest in Tottenham’s Dutch defender Mikey Vanderfin. Currently, Tottenham sit 16th in the Premier League; under new coach Tudor, they have failed to start well and suffered a heavy 1-4 defeat in the North London derby against Arsenal. The club’s management is seriously worried about relegation and concerned that several star players, including Vanderfin, might consider leaving.

It is said that Vanderfin’s contract renewal talks with Tottenham have been paused. The Spurs board is very anxious, fearing that regardless of whether the team is relegated this season, the 24-year-old star will seek to leave as he wants to play in the Champions League. Manchester United, Liverpool, and Real Madrid are all very interested in him. Left-footed Vanderfin possesses incredible speed and is nicknamed the "Premier League Bolt," excelling at dribbling forward, perfectly fitting Manchester United’s defensive needs. Of course, his price is not cheap; Tottenham paid €40 million to acquire him from Wolfsburg, and now his market value on the German transfer site has risen to as high as €65 million.