Manchester United target Lisandro Martinez has revealed how he used to watch footage of Joshua Kimmich to help hone his craft as a defensive midfielder.
Martinez is on Erik ten Hag’s transfer list this summer as the Red Devils head coach eyes more signings to follow the £14m arrival of left-back Tyrell Malacia. The 52-year-old is keen to swoop for Ajax centre-back Martinez due to his versatility and is hoping to reunite with the Argentine with pushing through a £40m deal.
The 24-year-old, who predominantly plays as a centre-back but can also deputise at left-back and in midfield, has adapted his style of play since joining the Eredivisie giants in 2019 from Defensa y Justicia. Martinez endured a difficult start to life in the Netherlands after struggling with the transition from Argentinian football, which may provide a cause for concern for United fans as he looks to make the move from Dutch football.
But he quickly adapted to his new role after watching Kimmich successfully retrain as a centre midfielder under Pep Guardiola, having been used as a right-back before, and credits the Bayern Munich star for helping show him the way.
"At the beginning, I felt like going home and crying," Martinez told La Nacion back in 2020. "The first few weeks were horrible. Different intensity. Different control. Different passes. Different reading of the game. I'm a player who likes to have the ball, but when they played with one or two quick touches, they killed me. It was incredible how off the pace I was.
"The club always give you information, but you have to do extras yourself for a new position. I watch football all the time and I observe all players, in all positions, and look at how they move. I love the details about players.
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"When he [Kimmich] plays in midfield, I like the calmness he has and the way he reads the game. A player has to be intelligent. He has to have confidence, of course, but it's a game of decisions and you make decisions with your head.”
Ten Hag’s previous comments suggest why the Dutchman is willing to splash out on the Argentina international as he looks to solve an area that has become an issue for United. The tactician trialled Martinez as a deep-lying anchor and was impressed with the outcome, and he could be set for a similar job if he joins United this summer after seeing Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba leave.
"At the beginning of the season we were looking for a brain for central midfield," Ten Hag said at the time. "We knew Martinez had played in central midfield, but could he do it in Ajax's system? We tried him there and we saw good things.”
