Lisandro Martinez faced heavy scrutiny two games into his Manchester United career, with the former Ajax star already being faced with the invasive nature of Premier League coverage.
Some pundits even ruled out success at United entirely but the 24-year-old has proven doubters wrong instantly by winning Man of the Match awards in back-to-back games against Liverpool and Southampton.
Martinez has quickly grown into a fan-favourite at Old Trafford, with some supporters even adopting the famous Roy Keane chant to show their support.
Amid his move to the Premier League, Martinez was questioned by pundits due to his height but thus far, that has proven to not be a problem for him.
ESPN, the famous broadcaster, have now compared Martinez to Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk and quite unsurprisingly, Martinez comes out on top in every category, including aerial duel success rate.
How Lisandro Martinez compares to Virgil van Dijk in the Premier League so far this season 👀 pic.twitter.com/CWwmfNmLbf
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 30, 2022
Read more: Cristiano Ronaldo asked Ralf Rangnick to drop Harry Maguire – report
Martinez has won more ground duels, made more clearances, interceptions and blocks than the Dutchman – and all of it in fewer minutes on the pitch.
Statistically, you can already see why Erik ten Hag was desperate to reunite with Martinez at Old Trafford and the eye test also proves why.
SN’s verdict…
Martinez will continue to be questioned by pundits with clear agendas and every mistake going forward will be magnified but from United’s viewpoint, they have signed one of the best in his position.
On top of his mouthwatering stats, Martinez has already showcased a mentality of steel. He has settled into the group quickly and can already be seen hounding his team-mates for good and bad.
As a left-footed centre-back, he also adds much-needed balance. That aspect has been overlooked and it will become increasingly clear as the season goes on.
