Revealed: Man Utd’s new signing who Ronaldo believes is Premier League’s best
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 17 Sept 2022 11:39 BST
- 3 min read
Cristiano Ronaldo has given new Manchester United colleague Lisandro Martinez a huge shot of confidence after naming him as one of the best defenders in the world.
Ronaldo has endured a frustrating season to date, only scoring his first goal of the campaign on Thursday in a Europa League encounter against Sheriff, and has been forced to watch a good deal of football from the bench.
The Portuguese, though, has evidently been impressed from what he has seen of Martinez, who he has proclaimed to be one of the finest players in the world in his role.
“Today, the best defender for me is Virgil van Dijk, always, and Lisandro Martinez. For me, they are the best in the Premier League,” he told Sky Sports.
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Lisandro Martinez at Man Utd
Lisandro Martinez, who is valued by FootballTransfers at €61 million, making him the second most valuable Argentine player behind Lautaro Martinez, arrived this summer from Ajax for an upfront fee of around €57m.
A player that manager Erik ten Hag knew intimately from his time in Amsterdam, he has unsurprisingly won a starting spot under the Dutchman rapidly, slotting in alongside Harry Maguire in the heart of the Manchester United defence.
Lisandro’s start to life at Old Trafford was inauspicious as the 24-year-old struggled notably against Brentford in a 4-0 defeat as the Red Devils started the season with back-to-back losses.
“I'm convinced this can't work because the size of him playing in a back four,” Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher notably claimed.
Martinez has quickly turned these opinions around, has remained an integral part of Ten Hag’s plans and is already a favourite of the fans thanks to his dogged approach to the game.
“I’m really happy and a little bit surprised with the love from fans, but at the same time I feel very proud. To come here to the best club in the world and the people say, ‘Argentina, Argentina,’ for me it's amazing,” he said after the win over Sheriff in midweek.
Ronaldo’s praise, then, is simply a further stamp of approval for Lisandro.
