Erik ten Hag insists Lisandro Martinez is ready for the challenge as he makes his return for Manchester United as a World Cup winner.
The Argentina defender returned to Manchester earlier this week but he was not selected in the squad to face Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night.
I would go as far as to say Martinez has been the best centre-back in the Premier League this season, so having him back available for selection is a huge boost for this United side.
It helps that Martinez has a number of training sessions under his belt.
“It is good he arrived in Manchester. Is he sober? I think so, I’m sure he is!” Ten Hag joked, as per the Manchester Evening News. “It is definitely a boost [winning the World Cup], he already is a player who is convinced of himself and has high belief. But also this experience will strengthen him even more and he has to bring it to the squad.
“I think Argentina played to win in contrast to many other nations who played not to lose. Also that mentality he showed several times at Manchester United: be proactive, that’s what I like. When it is difficult to stand up and when he can show that even more it can help us even more.”
Luke Shaw filled the void at centre-back against Forest and did a good job, although we can expect to see him back at left-back on Saturday.
Ten Hag went on to add that he never doubted Martinez as a player, which is why he brought him from Ajax in the summer. This didn’t stop the ABU pundits from doing all they could to write him off.
“I didn’t have that doubt, that is why I brought him in,” the manager added, “because I know there is high potential and if he works good then there is huge progress, there is huge space for improvement.
“Now he is returning from the World Cup it’s also another challenge because that experience is so emotional and now you have to manage that as a player, because opponents will be even tougher against him and it’s a good challenge.
“If you survive the challenge, you’re going to be a better player and that is the player Lisandro Martinez is: he likes challenges.”
