Former Manchester United star Nemanja Vidic gives verdict on Lisandro Martinez

The former Red Devils defender was full of praise for the summer addition

February 11, 2023 at 9:25 am GMT

Former Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic has revealed that he believes Lisandro Martinez was ‘a great signing’ for the Red Devils, after his performances at the heart of the Red Devils defence have caught the eye.

Martinez arrived in the Premier League from Ajax, following Erik ten Hag to Manchester, in a deal worth £50m and has already made a major change to the side’s playstyle, usurping club captain Harry Maguire in the left centre-back role.

And Vidic, a five-time Premier League winner with the Red Devils, is impressed with that he has seen so far.

“Lisandro came just six months ago, so he did really well,” Vidic told the i. “He brings energy, he likes to defend. He seems like he’s enjoying playing in England. He was a great signing.

“Varane is an experienced player, he has a few issues with injuries but definitely I think there’s more to come from them. The more they play together the better the partnership will be.

“I’m really pleased with how Lisandro did when he joined the club. There were some issues, people were concerned if he could play in England, but as an ex player and a defender I’m really happy how he’s playing and especially that energy he gives to the team, that aggression and winning mentality.”

Meanwhile, former centre-back partner Rio Ferdinand claimed that the World Cup winner could be the best defender in the Premier League.

“On form right now, I don’t think there’s really much argument coming from anywhere else,” Ferdinand told his Youtube channel. “I think he’s dominant, he’s aggressive, he’s a leader, he communicates well, he shows character, he’s there in big moments.

“But I was one of the ones questioning, ‘Is he physically gonna be able to compete here if teams isolate him, if teams isolate him?’. And that’s where Erik ten Hag has been confident in tactically being able to keep teams away from being able to dominate enough possession to isolate someone like Martinez.

“And, up till now, he hasn’t been exposed in that sense. On a regular basis, week after week, are we not sitting there going, ‘That’s a recurring problem, there. It continues to happen, someone’s pulling out on him and jumping over him or bullying him physically’. We haven’t seen that, that hasn’t become the narrative, and you have to say well done to him but also well done to the recruitment up to now.”