

Manchester United is not at its best form, even with the return of Lisandro Martinez. The Argentine national team defender returned to add minutes after his ligament tear on Nov. 30 vs. Crystal Palace and, since then, has been regaining his prominence in the team led by Portuguese manager Ruben Amorim.
However, in the seven matches the Red Devils have accumulated since Licha's return, they have collected only three victories. The rest were three draws and one loss, an equation that results in sixth place with 30 points in the Premier League standings, in a season with no international commitments (it did not qualify for the Conference League).
Faced with this situation, after the 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton at Old Trafford this Tuesday, Dec. 30, Lisandro Martinez was blunt in his declaration and self-criticism: "I'm very disappointed. We cannot do this at home. At home, we have to win, and our rivals have to suffer." And he added a phrase with a very descriptive word: "It's very frustrating."
Along the same lines, always aiming to firmly establish his concern heading into the new year, in conversation with several media outlets in the corridors of the 'Theatre of Dreams', the former Newell's and Defensa y Justicia player expressed: "We cannot be at our stadium drawing and losing points. We have to win. We have to win now."
And to close, he warned that they must now focus on the next Premier League commitment, which will be on Sunday, Jan. 4, against Leeds at Elland Road: "We have two paths. Hide behind excuses or take great responsibility, show who we are in the next match, and take the three points."
Manchester United has a main objective for the 2025/2026 season, which is to secure international competition for the next campaign. For now, it is in sixth place, so it is not qualifying for either the Champions League or the Europa League. Furthermore, it has already been eliminated from the EFL Cup (which offers a spot for the Conference League), so all that remains is to try to improve in the English league.
On the other hand, it is still alive in the FA Cup. On Jan. 11, it will face Brighton in one of the third-round matches.
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