On Monday evening Lisandro Martinez was absent for the first time under Michael Carrick and for the first time in general since the reverse fixture in November, as Manchester United defeated Everton 1-0 at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Before the game, Carrick confirmed to Sky that the Argentine defender had felt something during training in the week, but he did not know how serious or otherwise the injury was.
Well, now it appears we do know. According to Mail Sport, Martinez's injury is "minor", and the defender could be in contention for Sunday's visit of Crystal Palace.
This would be a big boost. Although Leny Yoro filled in, admirably, and Harry Maguire once again played very well, you could tell that United missed Martinez's ball playing last night.
That said, with how physical and robust the game was, perhaps it was not the worst game of the season for him to miss, particularly as the team managed to pick up the three points anyway. So, it could have been much worse.
Nevertheless, it is very encouraging to hear that the injury is nothing serious. Particularly with his history of injuries, you automatically wince when you hear that he has picked something up. Well, panic over, at least for now.
With the partnership of Yoro and Maguire playing pretty well against Everton, perhaps Carrick will decide not to take any risks with Martinez, and will have him amongst the subs for the game against Palace. We will have to see.
If he is 100% fit to play, then you'd imagine he will partner Maguire, and the Frenchman will be the one to drop out. The partnership in the first few games under Carrick was just so solid, and you'd imagine he will be conscious of wanting that continuity and consistency until the end of the season.
The one good thing about United having one game a week is that there are few games to miss. You can be out for two weeks, or even more, and only miss one game. It certainly has its benefits when it comes to the overall fitness of the squad.
It will certainly be interesting to see what starting XI Carrick will choose on Sunday. Not just in central defence with Martinez, but also up front with Benjamin Sesko, after he once again scored off the bench last night. Plenty of options. Let's wait and see.