Lisandro Martinez has revealed he “can’t wait” to play alongside Matthijs de Ligt, and feels the signings of he and Noussair Mazraoui are “special” for Manchester United.
United largely struggled last season, finishing eighth in the Premier League. While they did manage triumph in the FA Cup, their league form – and their worst-ever finish in the competition – was cause for concern.
Erik ten Hag has managed to keep his job, and has looked to rectify the problems of last season, with essentially every area of the pitch now improved upon.
Up top, Joshua Zirkzee has come in – while there’s no midfield signing yet, Manuel Ugarte is still being worked on – and after centre-back Leny Yoro came in, another two defenders, in De Ligt and Mazraoui, have been signed.
Both have played under Ten Hag previously, at Ajax, and their knowledge of his system could mean they slot straight in at Old Trafford. Centre-back Martinez replaced De Ligt at Ajax, when he left for Bayern Munich, and can’t wait to play with him.
“I’m so excited about Matthijs and Noussair,” Martinez told BBC Sport.
“We are here to help them and they are really good players, that’s why Manchester United bought them and they will show [that] quickly because they have really good qualities and they like to play football and they are special for our system.
“I think Matthijs will give us a strong personality, playing from the back, defending high, I can’t wait to play with him.”
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Martinez has played a lot of football with Mazraoui, with the pair at Ajax at the same time. In 65 games playing in the same side, they lost just 12 games, and won the vast majority.
If they can bring similar form to United, the side will be a very hard one to beat.
That seems important after the Red Devils lost 14 games in the Premier League last season, having been a near-unbeatable team a few years prior.
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