Treble legend Jaap Stam reckons Lisandro Martinez is so good on the ball Erik ten Hag could even play him in front of Manchester United's defence.
The Argentinian centre-back is a priority signing for the new Old Trafford boss who has headed off on United's summer tour to Asia and Australia without the defender as club chiefs try to reach agreement with Ajax who are demanding £50million for his release.
But Stam, a treble winner with United in 1999, is worth the big investment – with speed, skill and tactical awareness making Martinez a stand-out star. "You can see that ten Hag's approach is clearly to dominate games and to control the opponent's half," he said.
"When you play with a lot of space in the back and you need players who are reasonably fast and not afraid to cover. Tyrell Malacia has that and Martinez certainly does. The fact that ten Hag wants to reunite with Martinez, a Copa America winner, has to do with his footballing qualities.
"Martinez is very skilled and creative in his passing. The more players he has like that, the more ten Hag can keep the ball and the less counters they'll face. What is also important for that, especially in the strongest league in the world, is communication and who he might be paired with at the heart of the defence.
"But because Martinez is comfortable on the ball he can also play in front of the defence. And I don't rule out that ten Hag will use him there."
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If United manage to capture the South American star ten Hag could pair him with former real Madrid star Raphael Varane or £85m England star Harry Maguire. And the ability of Martinez in bringing the ball out of defence will make him an ideal foil for either partner.
Martinez, 24, has become a fan favourite at Ajax since his 2019 move from Argentinian side Defensa y Justicia in a £6million deal. The club recently lauded him as 'The Gold Standard' on their website after earning the nick-name the Butcher of Amsterdam' for his aggressive, combative style even though, at 5 foot 7.5 inches he's small for a centre-back.
Stam, though, hasn't seen that as a drawback for the tough Argentinian. "In the past defenders in England could not be big enough. Two metres tall was good and the ability to head balls away. Now most clubs and managers want to play football from the back. That doesn't mean you don't have to defend there. You still have to defend well and Martinez does.
"There are a lot of fast attackers who are merciless in counters. So what is important is that a defender is smart and clever. He must quickly read the game, where balls are coming from and give a little shove or push before the ball is there.
"Then you don't need to get into duels. Martinez has developed that as well. I have become a fan of his. I think he's a fantastic guy with a good temperament and winning mentality. For managers, those are nice players to work with.
"Whether he is worth £50 million is difficult to say, but these kind of amounts have become normal, certainly in England."
