Rio Ferdinand believes Erik ten Hag will try Lisandro Martinez as the midfield guard for the first time in place of the suspended Casemiro in Manchester United’s clash with Arsenal on Sunday.
The Brazilian picked up a fifth yellow card of the season against Crystal Palace on Wednesday, meaning he is required to sit out a one-match ban. Possible midfield replacements include Scott McTominay and Fred.
But Ferdinand believes Ten Hag will continue his trend of utilising the versatility of his players and put Martinez there instead. The Argentine played the linchpin 22 times at Ajax and attained a solid record in the position, winning 14 matches and keeping seven clean sheets.
READ MORE: Three ways United could line-up without Casemiro
However, he is yet to operate in the role at United. Ferdinand believes Sunday’s clash with table-toppers Arsenal will be his opportunity to reprise that role for the Reds.
He even went as far as saying he’d be “shocked” if either McTominay or Fred got the nod ahead of him. Speaking to William Hill, the ex-defender said: “There’s no getting away from the fact that Casemiro will be a big miss against Arsenal this weekend.
“He’s been brilliant since he’s come in, but United did beat Arsenal without him earlier in the season, so it’s not the end of the world. With him out, I’d imagine Erik ten Hag will shuffle the pack with Luke Shaw back at centre back, [Tyrell] Malacia at left back and [Lisandro] Martinez into central midfield.
“You’d think that is the way he’ll go, and in all honesty, I’d be pretty shocked if Ten Hag went with Fred and Scott McTominay in midfield as that doesn’t seem to work.”
Martinez started his first Premier League game since winning the World Cup in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Palace with all 23 of his United appearances coming at centre-back.
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