Manchester United centre-back Lisandro Martinez was seen returning to training on Thursday, relieving the club’s persistent defensive injury issue in the final weeks of the season.

Marcus Rashford also took part in the training as United prepare to play Premier League title contenders Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.

In recent weeks, United manager Erik ten Hag has struggled to field a back four, relying on Casemiro to slide into defence from midfield in the face of many absences.

Harry Maguire was out for three weeks in early May due to a muscular issue, joining Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof, Willy Kambwala, and Martinez. Jonny Evans, 36, was pushed back into the lineup on Monday night’s 4-0 loss to Crystal Palace.

Martinez, who became a cult hero among United fans last season for his dogged defending, has made only 11 appearances in all competitions in 2023/24. He worsened a broken foot sustained in April during a September match against Arsenal and lost more than three months as a result. Only a few games into his comeback, the Argentine injured his knee ligament in February, followed by a calf injury in training in April.

There is no word yet on whether Martinez will be available for the Arsenal game this weekend, but his return to training raises the prospect of him playing in the FA Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley in just over two weeks.

Rashford has not featured since United’s semi-final victory over Coventry City. The England attacker has missed games against Sheffield United, Burnley, and Crystal Palace, delaying his historic 400th appearance for his hometown club; the Coventry encounter was his 399th.

United captain Bruno Fernandes was not mentioned in the club’s training update on Thursday, so he is still a doubt for the match against Arsenal. The Portugal international was ruled out of the Palace defeat, marking the first time in his professional career that he has missed a game due to injury.