Lisandro Martinez is set to miss some huge Manchester United matches as he serves a suspension after being sent off against Leeds.
The Argentine made a long-awaited comeback from a calf injury to start in place of the suspended Harry Maguire as Daniel Farke’s side visited Old Trafford, but his evening did not go to plan.
Noah Okafor’s first-half brace left United chasing the game in the second-half, and Martinez saw red after appearing to grab a handful of Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s bun. United fell to a 2-1 defeat thereafter.
The incident was caught by VAR, and Paul Tierney gave the centre-back his marching orders after a short review.
Tierney’s decision has sparked controversy, with Michael Carrick describing the decision as ‘shocking’ and ‘one of the worst I’ve seen’. Bruno Fernandes, meanwhile, was booked for dissent after enthusiastically protesting.
The decision followed the letter of the law, though the Premier League referee’s handbook does state that a hair pull must be forceful to warrant a sending off, and debate will surely rage for some time over the semantics of the incident.
Martinez, though, now finds himself facing an enforced spell on the sidelines, provided the club decide not to appeal the decision.
How many matches is Lisandro Martinez suspended for after Leeds red card?
While the on-pitch infringement was a hair pull on Calvert-Lewin, Martinez was officially sent off for violent conduct.
The standard penalty for such a crime is three matches, a suspension which will rule him out of some key matches in the run-in.
He is suspended for next weekend’s visit to fellow Champions League hopefuls Chelsea and the following match against European aspirants Brentford.
He will complete his suspension as United host another top-of-the-table rival in Liverpool.
Martinez will return, however, for the last three matches of the season. Those will see United visit Sunderland, host Nottingham Forest and visit Brighton.
