Japp Stam rates Lisandro Martinez highly but believes he needs to learn to 'not get caught or be too aggressive' in the Premier League.
After a difficult start in which every member of the Manchester United team struggled in defeats by Brighton and Brentford, Martinez is now establishing himself as a dependable centre-back at Old Trafford.
The Argentine is quickly becoming a fan favourite thanks to his combative, in-your-face approach to defending. Former United defender Stam has liked what he's seen from Martinez but thinks he still has a bit of learning to do.
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"He's a good player. I knew as soon as he arrived people in the UK would talk about his height," Stam told Bet365. "That can be an issue as a centre-back, not being so tall, but he's shown his quality over here in the National team and in the Champions League. As a player he's very comfortable on the ball, you can see he's trying to find these passes in between lines.
"Defensively, he's very aggressive, sometimes he needs to be a little bit more aware of his opposition, not get caught or be too aggressive but that's the thing you learn in the Premier League and what you learn playing against the big teams, better players than what he was used to in Holland and that's what he's picking up.
"You can see his improvements already and how he's altered his approach. He's working well with Varane and Malacia on his left side. Fans like his determination, and his quality that we've seen in Holland."
Stam also believes that the partnership Martinez is forging with Raphael Varane is an impressive one. When asked what has changed for the new defender following the first two defeats, he said: "Him and Varane have been doing well. After the Brentford game, they've been playing together and there's a connection between the two, they feel what the other one is doing. So automatically, things are now a lot simpler than how it was before.
"I know Martinez from over in Holland, of course the first starts he made and I know his mentality in what he's trying to do. You can see the player is making a change too in how to approach a game, how to go into the battles, the one v one's and what he needs to bring to game, which is a very positive thing."
Stam also gave his verdict on new United signings Tyrell Malacia, who he worked with at Feyenoord, and Antony. Stam said: "Yes, I worked with him. He had a player in front of him at that time, who was a little more experienced, so Malacia was the second man after the left back position. When I left, Tyrell got his position in the first team, did very well and we know the whole story by now.
"Even from a young age when I worked with him, you could see his quality. The ability to make certain steps. And of course, when you play first team football in Holland you get noticed. Whether that's being defensively aggressive, using your pace and going forward and delivering crosses. You can see he's adapting well so far at United.
"He needs to produce throughout the full season and he's the type of guy who's very down-to-earth. He knows what to do, he's a hard worker. He knows he has to fight for everything, and I'm impressed with how he's playing."
On Antony's goal-scoring debut, he added: "[It's] very important to get the confidence as a player. It's also good of course that he started straight away. He's very eager to get on the ball, asking for the ball a lot, trying to create. You cannot expect the first game that you start to do and show everything that you want to.
"But you can see he can score goals when he's presented with the opportunity. He got the ball, great clinical finish and from that it'll give him a boost in confidence and will help to blend in with the club and of course the fans."
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