Lisandro Martinez looks like he would be a clever acquisition for Manchester United this summer.
The centre-back will be hoping for a spot on the plane for Argentina's World Cup campaign this winter, having kept 22 clean sheets for Ajax last term. United are trying to close a deal for the 24-year-old.
The club had submitted at £37m for him last week and have edged ahead of Arsenal as frontrunners after officials are said to have met with Ajax transfer lead Jan-Klaas Huntelaar. The deal could well be on.
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This pursuit comes after Jurrien Timber seemingly backed away from an Old Trafford switch. He was told by Netherlands head coach Louis van Gaal he risks losing his place in the World Cup squad should he endure limited game time at his former club.
Timber was likely being sought after for two reasons; to enhance Erik ten Hag’s central defensive options, and to cover as a right-back — as he has done quite often for Ajax. And Martinez, even though he is versatile, isn't able to cover this position.
While it can hardly be used a a stick to beat him with, it does mean Ten Hag will still have an unsolved problem at right-back. He has not stood in the way of United's decision to put Aaron Wan-Bissaka up for sale.
An exit for the former Crystal Palace man would mean Diogo Dalot would be the only first-team right-back at the club. Puzzlingly, in light of Wan-Bissaka’s possible exit, the position remains an area that United haven't explored at all, Timber aside. Links with potential right-backs have been light to say the least.
This may well change as the summer progresses, albeit Ten Hag now has the headache of Cristiano Ronaldo’s desired exit which could take up a lot of the attention. It remains to be seen whether Dalot will be his preferred right-back.
Many United fans are not convinced that the Portuguese has the quality to take the club to the next level, albeit he's shown more consistency than Wan-Bissaka, especially under Ralf Rangnick towards the end of last season. As evidenced by Liverpool and Manchester City, full-backs can be one of the most effective areas of the pitch.
But it seems as though right-back cover is not high up Ten Hag’s priority list right now. This may be based on whether anyone comes in for Wan-Bissaka, or if Ethan Laird gets a promotion from the youth ranks.
But it’s still an area that needs, at the very least some more cover at United. Supporters may hope it won’t be a last-dash rush job to fill the void when deadline day approaches.
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