Rio Ferdinand believes Manchester United centre-back Lisandro Martinez best defender in the Premier League
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand believes Lisandro Martinez is the best defender in the Premier League on form at the moment.
The centre-back signed for the Red Devils in the summer of 2022 from Ajax. After a shaky start to his life in Manchester, the 25-year-old has been one of the Old Trafford side’s best players in recent months.
Speaking on his YouTube channel FIVE (h/t Mirror), Ferdinand, who secured United’s backline for 12 years, is of the opinion that Martinez has been dominant as a central defender in the English top flight up until now.
“On form right now, I don’t think there’s really much argument coming from anywhere else. I think he’s dominant, he’s aggressive, he’s a leader, he communicates well, he shows character, he’s there in big moments.”
In the current campaign, the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Thiago Silva have been caught out at certain times. Liverpool and Chelsea have not been at their best either.
On the other hand, Arsenal’s defensive partnership of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes have also been prone to some errors. As for Newcastle United, Sven Botman has been brilliant.
However, the former Ajax defender has brought back an edge to the United backline that we seemingly have not seen since the Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic partnership. With the 25-year-old in our team, we look more composed and secure.
The Argentine has slotted comfortably alongside Raphael Varane at the Old Trafford side. Erik ten Hag has relied on the two to stabilise the Red Devils’ defence.
At the start of the season, Martinez had a lot of questions regarding his stature and physicality. The losses to Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford did not help the Argentine’s cause.
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Thankfully, the 25-year-old has been able to silence his critics with some aggressive and tenacious displays. The centre-back also went on to win the World Cup with La Albiceleste. Hopefully, the Argentine will be a leader in our backline for years to come.
