Man Utd legend raves about €55m signing Lisandro Martinez
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 27 Jul 2022 07:43 CDT
- 4 min read
Lisandro Martinez will prove an excellent addition to Manchester United, club legend Jaap Stam has said.
Martinez was made a signing priority by new manager Erik ten Hag this summer, and while a deal has been slow to come to fruition, everything was ultimately made official on 27 July.
The Argentina international arrives at Manchester United for an initial €55 million and becomes the club's third signing of the summer, following Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord and Christian Eriksen, who joined up as a free agent from Brentford.
Stam is well aware of what is required for a centre-back to succeed in the Premier League, having been one of the division’s outstanding defenders with Man Utd during a three-year spell under Sir Alex Ferguson from 1998-2001.
Now the former Netherlands star has moved into coaching and was even in charge of Ajax’s reserves from 2014 to 2016.
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Stam raves about Martinez
Speaking earlier in July, he claimed that Martinez has everything it takes to be a success at Man Utd under their new boss.
“You can clearly see that Ten Hag's approach is to dominate matches and control the opponent's half,” he told AD. “Then you play with a lot of space in the back and you need players who are reasonably fast and not afraid to cover. Malacia has that and Martinez certainly.
“Back in the day, defenders in England couldn't be big enough. Two metres was good, also to be able to head away a lot of balls. Now most clubs and coaches want to play football. That doesn’t mean you don’t have to defend.
“There are many fast attackers who are merciless on the counter. Therefore, what's important is that a defender has cleverness. Quickly read where the ball goes, a little nudge or push. Then you don't even have to get into duels. Martinez has also developed that.
“Martinez is very skilled and creative in his passing. The more he has such players, the more Ten Hag can keep the ball and the less he encounters counters. What is also important for this, certainly in the strongest competition in the world, is communication, and therefore who he will be linked to at the heart of the defence.
“And because Martinez is comfortable on the ball, he can also play as a defensive midfielder. I do not rule out the possibility that Ten Hag will use him there.”
Is Lisandro Martinez worth €50m?
Negotiations for Martinez were prolonged. Initially Ajax were asking €50m for the defender, but talks stalled at that price, with Man Utd looking at other options.
In the end, it was the Eredivisie side who won the transfer tug of war, securing an initial fee in excess of what they had first asked.
Even Stam was uncertain whether Martinez was worth such a price.
“Whether Martinez is worth €50m, that is difficult to say. This kind of money has become normal. Especially in England,” he said.
“I have become a fan of his. I think he's a fantastic guy, with a good temperament and a winning mentality. For managers, those are great players to work with.”
There is no doubt in Stam’s mind, then, that Martinez will be an excellent addition to the Man Utd squad.
