Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez is reportedly increasingly likely to leave the club as a free agent at the end of the season.

The Argentina international notably had a public dig at the Man Utd hierarchy in a recent post-match interview, and this led to him being fined by the club.

With Martinez now due to be out of contract at the end of this season, there’s unsurprisingly some uncertainty about whether or not he’ll be staying at Old Trafford for much longer.

That’s according to the Daily Mail, who link Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite as a potential replacement for Martinez in defence.

Is Lisandro Martinez heading for the Manchester United exit door?

The Mail’s report makes it clear that United could potentially trigger a one-year extension to Martinez’s contract, which would then at least give them the option to sell him instead of lose him for free.

It remains to be seen, however, if the Red Devils will bother putting themselves through that when it seems like parting company might be the best option for everyone involved.

One imagines there’ll also be plenty of MUFC fans who’d welcome the signing of a top Premier League defender like Branthwaite as a replacement for Martinez.

The England international has long been an impressive performer for Everton, and he surely has what it takes to make the step up to playing for one of the big six clubs.

Branthwaite could prove to be an upgrade on Martinez anyway, in which case United could be in a stronger position if they simply allow Martinez to move on so they can start planning on rebuilding their back four.

United have also been linked with new left-backs, with iNews claiming they’re interested in Newcastle’s Lewis Hall and Bournemouth’s Adrien Truffert.