Bacary Sagna has hailed ‘proper’ defender Lisandro Martinez and says the Argentine star has given Manchester United’s attacking players the perfect platform to play.
Ajax reluctantly allowed Martinez to move to Old Trafford in August, with the Red Devils agreeing to pay a fee of around £47m.
The defender started the campaign alongside Harry Maguire but United lost their first two Premier League games.
But, since Raphael Varane’s return to the team, Martinez’s performances have gone up to a new level and he was even named United’s player of the month for August.
As well as his tenacity in defending, Martinez has been impressive with his ability on the ball and his tendency to start attacks.
And Sagna, who played for Arsenal and Manchester City, says Martinez is the kind of player that United have been missing in recent years.
‘Lisandro Martinez at United, that guy is a real defender!’ Sagna told Lord Ping. ‘He is serious – there is nothing flashy about his play. He does his job perfectly. Not only does he have great ability on the ball, but he relishes the duels – he engages attackers.
‘As a defender, you have to be scary, strong. Some defenders forget they are defenders, they want to be skilful at the back.
‘He makes United solid and gives a platform for their attacking players to shine – that is the job of a proper defender.’
Erik ten Hag will be without Harry Maguire for around a fortnight after the centre-back sustained a hamstring injury on international duty.
England captain Harry Kane said Maguire was ‘playing on one leg’ towards the end of the side’s 3-3 draw with Germany and that’s proved costly, with the player set for a spell on the sidelines.
While Martinez and Varane had always been likely to retain their spots for the Manchester derby, United face nine matches in 27 days next month and need to call on their squad.
