Of the five permanent additions Erik ten Hag made to his Manchester United squad last summer, it was the signing of Lisandro Martinez that felt like the biggest gamble.
The centre-back had spent three seasons working with Ten Hag at Ajax, establishing himself as one of the best defenders in the Eredivisie, inspired by his no-nonsense and determined style of play. But despite lapping up plenty of plaudits in the Netherlands, no shortage of United supporters had their reservations about the club deciding to invest north of £50million in a player that had never stepped foot inside one of Europe's top five leagues.
Many feared that he would be the second coming of Marcos Rojo; a signing with disaster written all over it from the start. His height was immediately labelled a concern and United's recent record of having more misses than hits in the transfer market meant it felt like too big a gamble at such an important juncture in their recent history.
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But after being heavily criticised in the immediate aftermath of United's embarrassing 4-0 defeat to Brentford in just his second competitive appearance for the club, it was a shove on Mohamed Salah nine days later that marked the moment when everything changed for the 25-year-old. After deliberately clipping the Liverpool forward during United's much-needed 2-1 win over the Merseysiders last August, he immediately got back to his feet and barged into the Egyptian.
It was a friendly way of making his presence known to one of the Premier League's most decorated attackers over the last few years.
That win over Liverpool, too, also marked the night when Martinez was stationed at centre-back alongside Raphael Varane for the very first time. They have since developed a blossoming partnership that has played a key role in United enjoying a promising maiden campaign under Ten Hag.
While Varane is a Rolls-Royce-type defender who oozes class in just about everything he does, Martinez resembles a Rottweiler, not afraid of making his presence known and leaving his calling card. As a partnership, it works hand-in-hand, with the pair of them offering a blend of experience and a touch of nastiness.
It is that nastiness and desire to win at all costs that has meant Martinez has become an instant fans' favourite. An Argentine flag follows United everywhere they go nowadays, in full support of the World Cup winner, who has transformed United's back-four with his authority, his ability to play the ball out from the back on his trustworthy left-foot and his fearless approach.
He wears his heart on his sleeve and he is just the sort of character that this club has been crying out for over the past decade or so. Passion flows through his veins and that is exposed in the way he charges around the pitch.
He is never afraid of rolling up his sleeves up and fighting for the badge, giving United the energy they so often need, both on the pitch and in the stands. And it is why he hit the right notes so perfectly when addressing what the Reds will need to do between now and the end of the season to achieve a top-four finish.
Speaking after the 1-0 win over Brentford on Wednesday night, Martinez said: "We have to fight more than the opponent, we have to play with more passion, we have to play with more energy. Now, every game is a final and you have to play with passion, you have to be ready, you have to be sharp, you have to fight for these three points."
In just two passion-filled sentences Martinez showed that he understands the responsibility and honour that comes with playing for United. He understands the importance of winning. He understands the importance of leaving everything out on the pitch. He understands the need to fight for every single point.
His mentality must be a dream for any manager, especially Ten Hag, who regularly reiterates the importance of a positive attitude, meaning it is becoming more and more obvious why the Dutchman was so intent on raiding his former club last summer to be reunited with him. Not only does he play a good game, he also talks one.
The Argentine has established himself as a cult hero in less than a year in M16 and his latest comments make it easy to understand why. Ten Hag was intent on adding Martinez to his squad last summer and his attitude, both on and off the pitch, has fully justified why United were right to take such an expensive gamble.
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