Lisandro Martinez has admitted that it is a "pleasure" to play alongside Raphael Varane after the pair helped Manchester United to a 1-0 win at Leicester City on Thursday.
Jadon Sancho's first-half effort proved to be the difference as Erik ten Hag's side recorded their third straight Premier League victory. After a disastrous start to the season, United have bounced back following defeats to Brighton and Brentford - beating Liverpool, Southampton and Leicester with the Red Devils now fifth in the table.
Ten Hag made a couple of changes to his United side for the game against Liverpool that kick-started this mini-run. One of those alterations was putting Varane into the XI alongside Martinez, with captain Harry Maguire dropping out of the team in the process. It was a decision that caused some controversy at the time, but the duo have proven to be a force with United keeping two clean sheets in the process.
They were only denied a third when Mohamed Salah struck a late consolation as United ran out 2-1 winners over Liverpool at Old Trafford. Martinez impressed in that game after being heavily criticised against Brentford, and the 24-year-old has continued his form into the 1-0 wins over Saints and Leicester.
Martinez made the £55million switch to United from Ajax in the summer, and the signing drew question marks given his tender height. Varane has helped Martinez flourish, however, with the ex-Real Madrid man often commanding the back-line and working well together.
It is safe to say the Argentina international is delighted to play with Varane. He said in an Instagram post: "What a pleasure to play by your side brother."
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Rio Ferdinand delivered his verdict on the duo before United's win at Southampton and believes Ten Hag has found his ideal centre-back partnership. "At the moment they’ve [Martinez and Varane] got the shirt and when we played, it was whoever’s got the shirt they’re in control, they’ve got the destiny.
"They came and performed almost like the perfect couple and it looked like they played together for years. We spoke about Harry Maguire and if you’re him, you’re sat there worried at this moment in time. But we know it can change quickly. Martinez come in and everyone was talking about his height, I was included, can he do it in the Premier League?
"This game [Liverpool] was the perfect game for him. First tackle, first contact, let the opponents know where you are, it’s an old saying but goes a long way. He’ll have different problems in other games but that’s the Premier League."
