Aheed Abrar
Jaap Stam wants Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez to tone down a bit and be more aware
Former Manchester United centre-back Jaap Stam has pointed out where new signing Lisandro Martinez could improve. The ex-Red Devil feels the Argentine needs to tone down a bit with his aggression.
Martinez arrived at the Old Trafford side from Ajax during the transfer window. The 24-year-old reunited with Erik ten Hag in Manchester. Since then, he has started every game in the Premier League and put in solid displays.
Speaking to Bet365 (h/t Manchester Evening News), Stam, who played at United for three seasons, does feel that Martinez’s height could be an issue. However, the Dutch national has been impressed with aspects of the 24-year-old’s game.
“He’s a good player. I knew as soon as he arrived people in the UK would talk about his height. That can be an issue as a centre-back, not being so tall, but he’s shown his quality over here in the National team and in the Champions League. As a player he’s very comfortable on the ball, you can see he’s trying to find these passes in between lines.”
Martinez instantly became a key member for Ten Hag in his starting lineup. However, the Argentine did not have the best of starts to his United career. The Red Devils lost the first two games of the 2022/23 campaign.
The results against Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford were shocking. And in the game against the Bees, some people pointed fingers at Martinez, who seemingly had a difficult time dealing with the physicality of the players.
However, the team and the Argentine centre-back have made up for it with their performances lately. The 24-year-old had shown aggression and tenacity. But Stam wants the former Ajax star to be smart about it.
“Defensively, he’s very aggressive, sometimes he needs to be a little bit more aware of his opposition, not get caught or be too aggressive but that’s the thing you learn in the Premier League and what you learn playing against the big teams, better players than what he was used to in Holland and that’s what he’s picking up.”
United have won four games in a row in the league. The results have come after some bold decisions from the gaffer. Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw have been dropped from the starting XI to make way for Raphael Varane and Tyrell Malacia.
Martinez has been partnered with the French World Cup winner since the Liverpool game in the PL. We have subsequently looked a better unit.
More Manchester United News
- Erik ten Hag called up Charlie McNeill and two other academy youngsters to train with senior Manchester United squad
- Alex Telles joined Sevilla on loan from Manchester United to solidify his World Cup chances
- Diogo Dalot delighted about healthy competition for places in the Manchester United squad
Hopefully, the Argentine is able to continue performing at the highest level for United in the coming years.
