Under-fire manager Michael Carrick has dropped Lisandro Martinez from his Manchester United starting line-up for their Champions League meeting with Roma at Old Trafford.
The defender paid the price for a difficult afternoon at Chelsea, where he gave away a penalty and was sent off in Saturday’s 2-0 Premier League defeat.
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Despite the red last time out, Martinez was still available to play in European competition but the Argentinian has not been selected by Carrick, with Ayden Heaven coming into the team.
It follows a series of errors in recent weeks by Martinez, with his poor performances contributing to a winless run of nine under Carrick, who is desperate to revive his wretched season and spare his job.
United have not tasted victory since they opened their European campaign with a 4-0 triumph against minnows Sabah in September.
Martinez had kept his place in the team despite being fined for publicly calling out the United hierarchy after last month’s Champions League defeat at Atletico Madrid.
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That loss was followed by a calamitous 4-1 reverse at Champions League upstarts Como.
Bruno Fernandes’ comments questioning Carrick’s approach after that game saw him left on the bench against Bournemouth.
There was a further change against Gian Piero Gasperini’s Giallorossi, with Kobbie Mainoo starting in place of Andrey Santos.
