Lisandro Martinez has responded to a touching gesture from his Manchester United teammates before Friday's win over Leicester City.

Martinez is set to miss the rest of the season for Ruben Amorim's side after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament during last weekend's 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace. The injury occurred after an innocuous tangle with Palace winger Ismaila Sarr in the 82nd minute.

The centre-back is a popular figure at United and players were seen wearing special warm-up shirts before the FA Cup game against Ruud van Nistelrooy's team on Friday night. Each shirt displayed the message, "Stay strong, Licha!" in Spanish.

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And now the defender has responded on social media to the gesture. "Thanks for the show of support, guys! I'll come back stronger @ManchesterUnited," he said on his Instagram stories, alongside a picture of United players in their shirts.

United players wore similar training top messages in 2017 when Marcos Rojo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic suffered cruciate ligament injuries in the same game.

Both players missed the rest of the campaign and were famously seen celebrating on the touchline with crutches after United beat Ajax in the Europa League final under Jose Mourinho.

In a statement on Martinez's injury, United said: "Manchester United can confirm that Lisandro Martinez suffered an injury to his cruciate ligament in Sunday’s game against Crystal Palace.

"Assessment of the injury is ongoing to determine the appropriate course of treatment and the timescale for his rehabilitation.

"Everyone at Manchester United wishes Lisandro Martinez strength for a successful recovery and we will be supporting him every step of the way."