Manchester United have secured the third signing of the Erik ten Hag era after they agreed a £55million fee with Ajax for the defender Lisandro Martinez.
A versatile footballer who is strong aerially despite only being 5ft 9in and composed playing passes out of defence, Martinez could slot in either at centre-half or as a defensive midfielder.
The 24-year-old will also become the eighth player from Argentina to pull on the red shirt. Martinez has made seven appearances for his country and is likely to make many more.
We take a closer look at the previous Argentine footballers to have turned out for United and how they fared.
Manchester United are closing in on the £55million signing of Ajax’s Lisandro Martinez
Martinez worked closely with coach Erik ten Hag at Ajax and they will reunite once again
Juan Sebastian Veron
2001-2003; 82 matches, 11 goals
United had won three consecutive Premier League titles when they broke the British transfer record to sign Veron from Lazio in the summer of 2001. The £28.1million arrival was some statement of intent.
Veron was regarded as one of the world’s foremost midfielders and Sir Alex Ferguson was so determined he would be a success at Old Trafford, he pushed Paul Scholes forward into a secondary striker role to accommodate him.
Early signs were promising. Veron was named the Premier League player of the month in September 2001 having scored three times in four outings.
Sir Alex Ferguson welcomes British record signing Juan Sebastian Veron to United in 2001
There then followed a really disappointing decline which would demote Veron from a signing of great promise to an expensive flop. The player himself admitted the speed and intensity of the Premier League took a lot of getting used to.
He was never able to get as much time on the ball as he’d enjoyed in far better stints with Parma and Lazio in Italy and with Roy Keane to also shoehorn into the midfield, it was always square pegs in round holes.
By May 2002, Veron’s stock had dropped so far that Ferguson launched into an expletive-laden tirade at journalists who’d had the audacity to mention the drop-off in form.
Veron powers home a goal as United beat title rivals Arsenal during the 2002-03 season
‘You tell me, what’s wrong with Veron? It’s nonsense. On you go, I’m no f**king talking to you. He’s a f**king great player. Yous are all f**king idiots.’
It didn’t help Fergie’s mood that Arsenal would win the Double and apart from the odd glimpse of…