Manchester United defender Raphael Varane has welcomed the arrival of Lisandro Martinez from Ajax, despite the Argentina international being expected to provide him with stiff competition for a place in the Reds' starting XI.
Martinez is yet to officially complete his move to United, but the club confirmed his imminent arrival earlier this week. United said the deal was still subject to a medical, but an announcement was required as Ajax had to inform the Amsterdam stock exchange of material transactions.
Martinez will become Erik ten Hag 's third signing, and Varane welcomes the competition he will bring to the central defenders already at the club, including captain Harry Maguire.
READ MORE: Varane reflects on United transfer decision
"Competition is good for the team," Varane said. "Harry is a very important player for us. He's the captain and obviously he has a lot of good qualities.
"The team will always be better with this competition. Every great club is like this. If everyone wants to fight for the team, that's a good thing."
Meanwhile, Ten Hag told Maguire the only way he can silence his critics is with his performances on the pitch. Maguire was loudly booed at the beginning of United's win over Crystal Palace in Melbourne earlier in the week, despite receiving a warm reception at the same stadium during the game against Melbourne Victory just days earlier.
“We heard [the boos], but you see, if you perform then it slows down," Ten Hag said. "I think the team and Harry Maguire, they impressed [the fans] by the way they played."
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