Wayne Rooney tells Manchester United how to make Lisandro Martinez a success
21.08.2022 - 21:35
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Wayne Rooney has moved to defend Lisandro Martinez and believes Manchester United need to change to get the best out of him.
United signed Martinez in a £53.5million move from Ajax earlier in the summer as Erik ten Hag looked to improve his defensive options. But it's been a baptism of fire for the Argentine, who has struggled at times in the opening defeats to Brighton and Brentford.
Martinez has also come in for ridicule for his height as at 5ft 9in he isn't as tall as a typical Premier League centre-back. But United legend Rooney believes that matters little and he is a good player, but United need to be doing more to help show his strengths on the pitch.
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"Ten Hag was criticised for signing a 5ft 9in centre back, but I think Martínez has the potential to be a success in the Premier League," Rooney wrote in The Times. "He’s a good footballer, but what he needs is for his team to be dominating possession and playing high up the pitch, so he can use his reading of the game and footballing skills.
"If you put Martínez in the Manchester City team, there wouldn’t be any questions about him. Fernandinho thrived as a centre-back for City at times and Javier Mascherano was brilliant there for Barcelona, and neither is very tall.
"Gary Neville did well as a “small” centre back for a period of his career and when I played, I always fancied I could do a great job there. It’s about being in a team with the right style of play and the quicker Ten Hag can impose his structure and style, the easier for Martínez it will become."
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