Tom Heaton says he enjoyed playing with ‘outstanding’ Lisandro Martinez

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Lisandro Martinez made his Manchester United debut in the 1-1 draw with Rayo Vallecano.

The Argentina international looked composed on the ball making his first appearance as a Red Devil, after being an unused substitute against Atletico Madrid.

His performance was praised by goalkeeper Tom Heaton, who started the fixture, speaking after the game on MUTV.

Heaton’s comments bode well for first team goalkeeper David de Gea too, who is hoping for an improved defence in front of him in 2022/23.

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Heaton says he enjoyed playing with Martinez

Speaking after the game, Heaton said: “I really enjoyed playing with him today, I think he’ll be a top, top player for the club. As I say, I thought he was outstanding today and I’m looking forward to watching him this season.

“For what he brings, physicality, how he uses his body, what he gives you in terms of mobility and on the ball and personality-wise, I think he’s going to add a lot to the team.

“You can see already what he brings. He brings that sort of larger-than-life personality at the back, controlling. As I say, I thought he was excellent today. I really enjoyed playing with him and I look forward to hopefully playing with him more this year.”

Erik ten Hag also praised the new signing, telling MUTV he thought Martinez and Raphael Varane played really well together.

Martinez played 45 minutes in a behind closed doors friendly match with Wrexham in midweek and is building up his fitness ahead of the season.

He is a little behind his teammates in terms of minutes played, but Erik ten Hag knows him well, and will be able to determine whether he is ready to start the season opener.

Raphael Varane, Eric Bailly, Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof are all also battling it out to start United’s opener. Of those four, only Bailly you could say for certain probably won’t start.

Heaton’s comments on Martinez are good to hear. It sounds like he is settling in very well off the pitch as well as on it, and he will be a key player for United this season and beyond.