Manchester United have confirmed their third signing of the summer, with Lisandro Martinez arriving from Ajax in a deal worth up to 64m euros (54m fixed fee plus 10m add-ons).
Martinez follows deals for left-back Tyrell Malacia and midfielder Christian Eriksen, who joined on a three-year deal.
Official and now confirmed! Lisandro Martínez joins Manchester United on permanent deal from Ajax, contract until June 2027 with an option for further season. 🔴🇦🇷🤝 #MUFC
Official fee is £55m (€57m including solidarity payments) plus €10m add-ons. pic.twitter.com/0D9lb41KWa
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 17, 2022
The diminuitive Argentine player can operate as a central defender, a left-back or defensive midfielder, but Erik ten Hag has already made it clear that he sees him primarily as a central defender, having ruled out his chances of playing in midfield.
Speaking to Dutch ESPN in 2021, Ten Hag told the media that ‘Daley Blind does not have the running capacity to play in midfield. And neither does Martinez.’
Erik ten Hag in January 2021: ‘Daley Blind does not have the running capacity to play in midfield. And neither does Martinez.’ (Dutch ESPN)
— Elko Born (@Elko_B) July 18, 2022
And, with the aforementioned Malacia already signed to play as a left-back and with Luke Shaw already at the club, it would appear that the only spot left available to the Argentine would be on the left side of defence.
Raphael Varane to miss out?
With Ten Hag looking to operate in a 4-2-3-1 formation this season, and with Harry Maguire already confirmed to be club captain for the upcoming season, it seems as though Martinez will partner the Englishman in Manchester United’s first-choice backline .
Erik ten Hag confirms Harry Maguire will continue as Manchester United captain next season pic.twitter.com/Twp6g4OwHH
— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 11, 2022
This raises question marks about the future of World Cup winner Raphael Varane, who only joined the club 12 months previously, and where he fits into the Dutchman’s plans.
It is seemingly rotation likely that he will offer a option for his new manager, though whether he could displace Maguire in the starting XI over the course of the season remains to be seen.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | d | p |
| 1 | Leeds United | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | West Ham United | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Everton FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Southampton FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Chelsea FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Arsenal FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Newcastle United | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Leicester City | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Liverpool FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Aston Villa | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Fulham FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Crystal Palace | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Nottingham Forest | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | AFC Bournemouth | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Brentford FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 23 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 23 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 18 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 17 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 16 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 15 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 15 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 15 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace | 14 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City | 13 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 12 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 12 |
| Toney, Ivano | Brentford FC | 12 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 11 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 11 |
| Mahrez, Riyadh | Manchester City | 11 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 11 |
| Pukki, Teemu | Norwich City | 11 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 11 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa | 11 |
| player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 11 |
| Xhaka, Granite | Arsenal FC | 1 | 10 |
| Tarkowski, Jameso | Burnley FC | 0 | 11 |
| Firpo, Junior | Leeds United | 0 | 11 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 10 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 10 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bednarek, Jan | Southampton FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 10 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 9 |
| Neves, Reuben | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 9 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 9 |
| Rudiger, Antonio | Chelsea FC | 0 | 9 |
| McTominay, Scott | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Salisu, Mohammed | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 0 | 8 |
| Toney, Ivano | Brentford FC | 0 | 8 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 7 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Pogba, Paulo | Manchester United | 1 | 7 |
| player | Team | assists |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 12 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City | 11 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 10 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 10 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 10 |
| Robertson, Andy | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 9 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 9 |
| Pogba, Paulo | Manchester United | 9 |
| Cancelo, Joao | Manchester City | 9 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 8 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 8 |
| Kulusevski, Dejan | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Antonio, Mikhail | West Ham United | 7 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Mbeumo, Bryan | Brentford FC | 7 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 6 |