Manchester United have confirmed that they have reached an agreement with Ajax over the signing of Lisandro Martinez, who will join the club after completing a medical, agreeing to personal terms and obtaining a work permit.
Martinez is poised to become the third signing of the summer and the second defensive reinforcement following Tyrell Malacia’s arrival earlier this month.
Christian Eriksen has also been confirmed and the trio completes a set of players Erik ten Hag is familiar with – hinting that the club’s recruitment department have taken a step back to allow Ten Hag to shape the squad to his liking.
There has been another clear indication that, behind the scenes, the club are backing Ten Hag to turn United’s fortunes around after a five-year-long trophy drought.
Read more: Luke Shaw says Erik ten Hag has already improved Manchester United
United have been strongly linked with a move for Villarreal defender Pau Torres in the past but Martinez’s signing means that a move for the Spain international is highly unlikely in the near future.
And according to The Telegraph, United’s recruitment department recommended that Torres was signed but decided to press ahead with plans to pursue Martinez after trusting Ten Hag’s judgment.
In the past, United have vetoed the manager in the transfer market and signed players on their own accord. The latest example of that is the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo less than 12 months ago.
It’s paramount that Ten Hag is allowed the freedom to mould United and in time, they will reap the benefits of trusting their manager. At the end of the day, they gave him a three-year contract.
