Lima Manchester United's comeback plan exposed! He refused to move to Napoli and wanted to return next season to keep his position

The almost forgotten Argentine centre-back Lisandro Martinez was unexpectedly the subject of rumours of a move to Napoli this week. But the 27-year-old centre-back has turned down an offer from the new Serie A champions and insisted on staying at Manchester United, hoping to return to the pitch early next season in a bid for a place in manager Ruben Amorim's new squad.

In February, he suffered a torn cruciate ligament in Lima and underwent surgery, the most serious of which could lead to his return in 2026. Despite this, Napoli, which has historical ties to Argentina, has expressed interest in him. Napoli are reportedly not worried about his long-term health, as Serie A is not as physically physical as the Premier League.

Antonio Conte's side signed Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay for £25 million last season, and Wheat became Serie A's Player of the Season, scoring 12 goals to help them win the title. As a result, Napoli currently have a keen interest in Manchester United's players such as Lima, Garnacho and Hojlund. However, according to the Daily Mail, Lima is living happily at Old Trafford and has no intention of leaving, having already turned down an offer from the Serie A champions.

According to Sky Sports, both Manchester United and Lima have expressed satisfaction with their recovery from surgery four months ago, with the latest check-up last week showing that his meniscus was not torn, so he could be sidelined for a lesser period of time. However, neither side will be in a hurry as the last time "The Argentine Butcher" was seriously injured and then came back prematurely and ended up being injured again.

It is reported that unless Lima is fully confident in his recovery and is in top form, the club will not allow him to return to the pitch rashly this time. The Argentina international is currently in individual recovery training and is expected to return to the grass for individual training when his team-mates return for pre-season training early next month.

In Amorim's 343 formation, Lima was a left-sided centre-back who played six games for the new boss before his injury, the team was unbeaten, and he also scored crucial goals against Liverpool and Fulham. Lima has more passing ability in the defence than any of his centre-back team-mates. Amorim said: "When the centre-backs play well with the ball, we play well. That's what Lisandro is good at doing, he can control the ball.'

However, with Lima only 175cm tall, they have to play more aggressively and make some risky defensive moves against the tall, strong Premier League striker, which naturally increases their injury risk. If it goes back to the less confrontational continental league, the Argentine may not be so vulnerable to injury.

Lima knows he must prove his fitness as soon as possible, or his position may be lost. 18-year-old Eden Haven has also shown considerable potential in his brief appearances since joining in January, with the England youngster also playing at left-footed centre-back.

Luckily for Lima, Haven was also plagued by injuries. At the same time, the club's budgetary constraints have prevented Amorim from bringing in a new centre-back, and there are few rumours of a centre-back in the summer window, so he still has plenty of time to make a name for himself.

However, if Lima are struggling with injuries again after his comeback, it is not difficult to imagine that Amorim will have to bring in a new centre-back to replace him. The stats show that since joining Manchester United in 2022, the Argentine has suffered six injuries, five of which have been absent for more than a month, missing a total of 80 games!