Lisandro Martinez deserves credit for his performance in Manchester United defeat

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Lisandro Martinez was the only Manchester United player to emerge with real credit after the disappointing defeat at Newcastle.

The Argentine showed his frustration as he was taken off for the final few minutes against Newcastle, amid a late tactical change from Erik ten Hag.

That’s understandable, Martinez is a warrior who enjoys the fight, and he was in his element helping Manchester United try to defend against Newcastle.

Newcastle were the better team, winning 2-0, but that was not for a lack of effort from Martinez, who was the best Red Devils player on the pitch.

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Lisandro Martinez stands out

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag knew what he was getting when he signed Lisandro Martinez from Ajax.

Even in this game where United lost, Lisandro Martinez can hold his head high as the team’s top performer.

He won three of four tackles contested, made two interceptions, and blocked two shots. Martinez won six duels out of nine contested.

The defender also made four passes into the final third, although his usual level of passing was down in terms of volume, with Manchester United seeing less of the ball than usual.

Martinez helped United to dig in and hold a surging Newcastle off for 65 minutes. He was not on the pitch when the Toon scored their second goal, with Ten Hag’s three at the back experiment failing to work out.

A big test awaits Martinez in midweek when Manchester United host Brentford. It was an away game against the Bees which saw him roundly criticised by pundits just two games into his career at the club.

The former Ajax man has been excellent since, with just a couple of poor displays away against City and Liverpool. This loss away at Newcastle was totally different.

Martinez competed strongly for every ball, winning the majority of his battles, and if Manchester United had a few more players with his mix of quality and spirit, then yesterday’s game would probably not have ended in defeat.

The defeat at Newcastle was a poor effort from Manchester United. But in the wake of the loss, Lisandro Martinez is the one player who can hold his head high.