Following Christian Eriksen and Tyrell Malacia, Man United has added Lisandro Martinez to their squad during the summer transfer window.
After United revealed on Sunday that a Martinez transfer agreement had been reached with Ajax, Erik ten Hag moved a step closer to bringing a third new player into his side. The Argentine’s price tag will start at £46.8 million and go up to £55.3 million.
When the deal is done, Martinez will have joined playmaker Christian Eriksen and left-back Tyrell Malacia at Old Trafford. The left-footed center-back is what Ten Hag has campaigned for to give his back line balance and depth.
The team had been keeping an eye on Pau Torres of Villarreal, but they decided to go after him in support of their new manager. Martinez, a center-back, takes great satisfaction in being a flexible player who can play in midfield or even as a full-back, and United will benefit greatly from his ability to play in a variety of positions.
Rivals from the Premier League The 24-year-old defender, who can play center back, left back, and midfield, had also drawn interest from Arsenal, but the potential of working with Erik ten Hag helped United defeat their rivals in the battle to get him.
Martinez previously stated that he sees himself as a multi-faceted player who is always inclined to contribute more than is required of him to support his team.
The skill and willingness of Martinez to play in the middle of the field could be very useful in the upcoming season. First off, even with Martinez’s arrival, the first-choice center-back pairing will likely still remain Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane assuming both players are healthy and perform at a high level.
United has also been in desperate need of a hard-tackling, a tactically smart defensive midfielder for years, but it once again appears doubtful that they will add one this summer. They may have discovered a player who can fill the position temporarily in Martinez, though.
