Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has once again raised concerns about Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez, despite praising his “brilliant” ability on the ball.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag was reunited with Lisandro Martinez after the Red Devils signed him from Ajax in 2022 as part of a £57m deal.
Martinez was widely hailed for his debut season at Old Trafford, with the 26-year-old Argentine centre-back striking up a formidable partnership with Raphael Varane.
However, the former Ajax star missed the tail end of United’s campaign last season after he suffered a fractured metatarsal bone in his foot in the 2-2 draw with Sevilla.
Martinez suffered another setback last September after an aggravation to the aforementioned foot injury, with the United star undergoing further surgery.
The 2022 World Cup winner made his long-awaited return for the Red Devils last month in United’s 2-2 Premier League draw with Tottenham at Old Trafford.
Carragher criticises Martinez again
Jamie Carragher was a vocal critic of Lisandro Martinez after he was signed from Ajax, with the Liverpool legend raising concerns about the defender’s height.
The Liverpool legend later admitted that he made a mistake over his comments and issued an apology to Martinez, with Carragher praising his influence at United.
Speaking on the Stick to Football show, Carragher brought up the Manchester United defender’s height again and claimed it would be the reason he wouldn’t sign him.
“I said this when Manchester United signed him, but I do worry about Lisandro Martinez for his height,” he said on The Overlap.
“If I was a manager, I would never buy a defender that small and the reason being is it’s not just him, I like him as a player and he’s got great spirit, he’s brilliant on the ball, he’s aggressive, but [because of] the way football is now.
“Probably 20 years ago I used to play full-back, and you’d normally have a back four, one of your full-backs would be tall as well for set pieces.
“But the way the game is now because full-backs are almost like wingers, there are not that many big players in your team, so your full-backs aren’t the biggest anymore.
“I always think for set pieces your centre-backs sometimes and even your striker now – how many teams play with a massive player upfront, it doesn’t happen as much?
“Your two centre-backs have got to be, just for set pieces, 6 foot 3, 6 foot 4, so at least you’ve got those two pillars.”
Carragher is wrong about Martinez… again
Ahead of the Premier League clash against Wolves on Thursday, Martinez has featured in only two matches for United since his return from injury.
The Argentina international made his presence felt in his brief cameo against Spurs and followed it up with a commanding performance against Newport County.
Martinez started for United in the 4-2 FA Cup win over Newport County last Sunday and provided superb protection for Altay Bayindir, who made his United debut.
Despite United conceding twice, Martinez offered much-needed stability in defence and showed how he can make his side tick with his line-breaking passes.
No doubt United fans are thrilled with Martinez’s return to the United first team and the Argentina defender will prove Carragher wrong again with his performances.
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