POPE FRANCIS was left gushing after receiving a signed shirt of Manchester United star Lisandro Martinez.
The Pope met with the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and religious leaders from the region, including members of the Jewish, Sikh and Hindu communities, at the Vatican.
Pope Francis was left gushing after being handed a shirt of Lisandro Martinez
Manchester United star Martinez has been ruled out for the rest of the seasonRex
Manchester United fans begged the Pope to pray for Martinez to return quicklyGetty
Burnham was joined by Bishop of Salford John Arnold, Dean of Manchester Rogers Govender, Lord Mayor of Manchester Donna Ludford, Bishop of Manchester David Walker, Gorton MP Mohammed Afzal Kahn and Chair of the Manchester Climate Change Partnership Mike Wilton.
The group pledged their commitment to tackle climate change in Manchester and had a special gift for the pontiff, who is a famous football fan.
The Pope was left in awe as he was offered a shirt of fellow Argentine Martinez.
This comes shortly after his holiness saw Argentina win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Martinez has been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign after undergoing surgery on his fractured metatarsal following an injury he suffered against Sevilla last Thursday.
United fans took to the comments’ section and begged the Pope to pray for the centre-back’s swift return.
One fan tweeted: “In return can he do a sign of the cross on Licha’s [Martinez] ankle so he comes back quickly?”
Another commented: “Bless him for a quick recovery.”
A third wrote: “Hope he prays that he returns even better.”
This fan said: “Fair enough we need all the spiritual help we can get to beat Sevilla.”
And that one stated: “Pope presented with a God.”