Why Lisandro has been called up despite still being weeks away from recovering

Argentina took the unusual decision to select injured Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez for the upcoming international fixtures to improve their chances at this summer's Copa America, according to reports.

As earlier reported by Mail Sport, the 26-year old is expected to travel on Monday to link up with the rest of the Argentina squad as they prepare to face El Salvador and Costa Rica in the USA at the end of the month.

Martinez damaged his medial collateral ligament against West Ham in February and was ruled out for at least eight weeks.

His recovery has been going to plan but he was not expected to make a first team comeback until the Premier League clash on March 30 against Brentford at the earliest.

Now United have agreed for him to link up with Argentina where he will finish the final stages of his rehabilitation and could possibly even figure against Costa Rica in Los Angeles on March 27.

According to ESPN, Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni already has his sights set on the continental tournament, which will be hosted in the United States.

Lionel Messi and Co will be looking to equal Spain's achievement of winning three consecutive major international competitions, following their triumph in the 2021 edition before World Cup glory a year later.

The report claims that Scaloni believes Martinez's inclusion will benefit the player and the team to have him spend more time with Messi and the rest of his co-stars.

Martinez, a £48.5million signing from Ajax, has endured a frustrating season after suffering another fractured metatarsal earlier in the campaign.

He has made just ten appearances and his absence from the heart of United's defence has been sorely felt at with Erik ten Hag trying various combinations but with