Lisandro Martinez has been one of Manchester United’s standout players thus far this season, with the Argentine almost immediately becoming a fan-favourite at Old Trafford.
Martinez joined the Reds in July, following Erik ten Hag from Ajax and although he did not take part in United’s pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia, he has needed little time to settle in.
After a rocky start, which saw some pundits criticise him for his lack of height, Martinez recovered to win United’s Player of the Month award for August.
Martinez’s first two games, against Brighton and Brentford, were poor outings for all players but significantly, he was partnered with Harry Maguire, who did not seem to trust his new team-mate.
Since then, Martinez has forged a stellar partnership with Raphael Varane, who is also enjoying his best period at United since joining from Real Madrid in 2021.
Now, Jaap Stam, the United hero, has become the latest player to praise Martinez for his efforts since joining. Stam also says he predicted pundits and experts would get caught up on his height.
“That was an easy one, the day when he signed for United, I had already said they will talk about his height,” Stam is quoted as saying by the Manchester Evening News.
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“Over here [England], everyone thinks as a centre-back you need to be big and tall, otherwise you won’t make it.
“The thing is, you need to look at the big picture of how the manager wants to play because that’s the most important thing. He wants to play dominating football, meaning you need to have players at the back who are comfortable on the ball.
“Of course, sometimes he’s going to get surprised, but that’s what also happens with big players – they make mistakes as well. Martinez shows his quality on the ball, he shows his quality when defending and his communication around him is good.
“He just needs to keep going.”
Martinez will now be hoping to keep his good form going and the next game will most likely be his toughest over the whole season, with United making the trip to face second-placed Manchester City.
Erling Haaland, who signed from Borussia Dortmund over the summer, is in spectacular form but Martinez has enjoyed success against the Norwegian in the past.
