Lisandro Martinez is showing just why Erik ten Hag was so desperate to re-sign him at Man Utd

25.08.2022 - 11:55 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk

A week can be a long time in football.

After Manchester United's humbling by Brentford on August 13, Lisandro Martinez was chastised and already being written off as a flop by many. His height, or lack of it, was used against him by more than one prominent pundit and his removal at half-time by manager Erik ten Hag was seemingly evidence of his inability to adapt to the new surroundings of the Premier League.

But fast forward to last Monday night and the Argentine redeemed himself as he put in a stellar performance in the win over Liverpool. The man known as 'the Butcher of Amsterdam' during his stay at Ajax came to the fore against Jurgen Klopp's side. He registered seven clearances and put in four blocked shots and interceptions.

Read more: What Martinez did at full-time after Liverpool win

Only his defensive colleague Raphael Varane registered stats anywhere near that level.

Not only was Martinez's defensive game on point but he also put in his fair share of passes and played his part in Jadon Sancho's goal with a lovely sprayed pass kickstarting the move that led to the opener.

The decision by Ten Hag to partner him with Varane rather than captain Harry Maguire also raised eyebrows. Although it wasn't perfect, the signs are promising when it comes to the new partnership at centre-half.

“He brings to the team his determination, his motivation and, yeah, he has this mentality, this fighting spirit," Varane said of his colleague. "He showed it tonight.”

That fighting spirit has been missing for too long at Old Trafford.

After shaking off some of his detractors, Martinez will now be aiming to make the rest who harbour doubts eat their words.

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