When Lisandro Martinez signed for Manchester United in July, Erik ten Hag finally had his 'warrior' at Old Trafford. It was clear that the Reds needed to strengthen in defence, and were crying out for someone who could add some much-needed bite to the heart of the backline.
There were questions as to how he would settle in and cope with the intensity of the Premier League, with several former players and pundits suggesting that his height would see him struggle in the English top-flight. Against Brighton on the opening day of the season, the Argentine lined-up alongside club captain Harry Maguire at centre-back.
The result, and performance of the team, has been spoken about enough, but Martinez was under immediate pressure after struggling to handle former Reds striker Danny Welbeck in the match. Things got worse before they got better, though, as Martinez was substituted at half-time in the 4-0 thrashing at Brentford. His United career had not got off to the start anyone had wished for.
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However, with Ten Hag making the somewhat bold decision to drop skipper Maguire for the arrival of Liverpool on August 22, and bring Raphael Varane back into the fold, Martinez had the backing he needed to kick on and start to deliver.
Speaking about the 24-year-old centre-back following his arrival at the club earlier this summer, Ten Hag claimed that Martinez was a 'warrior' who would be admired by the club's supporters.
"He’s a warrior and I think the fans will admire him. He has an attitude, fighting spirit. He brings aggressiveness in the game, in a good way. I think we need that," the Dutchman told United's club media team.
"But also, he’s also skilful and he can deal with the ball and he’s left-footed."
Having coached the Argentine while he was in charge of Ajax, Ten Hag was aware of the qualities the defender could bring to the team - and was confident he had the right character to adjust to Premier League football.
Ten Hag added: "I think it’s important, yeah. I think the Premier League is high intensity, lots of challenges. We need such players [with fighting spirit]."
Since United lost their opening two matches of the season, they have gone on to win their past four Premier League matches - with Martinez and Varane helping the side to record clean sheets in the victories over Southampton and Leicester City, as well as restricting Arsenal to just one goal last weekend.
Martinez's impressive showings in recent weeks have gone down well with fans, as has his passion and aggression. The video of the United defenders celebrating keeping the ball out of the back of the net did the rounds on social media, but it was actually a great example of how committed the back four has looked in the past few matches.
Ten Hag knew that the 24-year-old had everything needed to become a fan's favourite at Old Trafford - his desire alone has made supporters fall in love with him. It might have taken a bit of time for the centre-back to settle, but his fighting spirit has been there all along, and he is now starting to show his class.
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