Diminutive centre back Lisandro Martinez is rising to the challenge of the Premier League and has won as many of his aerial duels and tackles in the early stages of the season as any other Manchester United defender.
At just 5ft 9ins, Martinez is the shortest centre back in the top flight but, so far at least, he is defying his critics.
The Argentine’s height raised eyebrows when he joined United for £57m from Ajax this summer. And Sky Sports pundit and Liverpool legend Graeme Souness is doubtful about the ‘vertically challenged’ defender’s prospects in the Premier League.
Questions have been asked about Lisandro Martinez’ ability in the air after joining Man United
‘I was racking my mind to come up with anyone who’s played in the Premier League or indeed the [old] First Division that size and been a success,’ Souness told talkSPORT, last week.
‘He’s not particularly special at anything,’ said Souness. ‘I would say he’s feisty and he’s aggressive. The other thing I don’t like about him is he goes to ground too readily. That’s not a good sign for a defender.’
However, Martinez, who worked with Erik ten Hag in Holland, has quickly become a favourite with fans for his combative displays, which have been a key part of United’s run of four Premier League victories, including Sunday’s impressive 3-1 win over Arsenal.
In his first two games of the season United shipped six goals, including the shambolic 4-0 away defeat against Brentford when the defender was hooked at half-time after being bullied physically by Bees striker Ivan Toney, but he has kept winning his duels, both in the air and on the ground.
Martinez is now joint top among United defenders for both the percentage of headers won and the number of tackles in which he has come out with the ball. He has competed for 12 aerials, losing just three, with a return of 75 per cent, and he has won the ball back for his team in seven out of eight contests.
Pundit Graeme Souness has not been impressed by Martinez’s start to the season for United
But the 5ft 9ins centre back is so far proving critics wrong, winning his headers and his tackles
| Player | Aerials Won | Aerials Lost | % Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lisandro Martinez | 9 | 3 | 75% |
| Raphael Varane | 18 | 6 | 75% |
| Tyrell Malacia | 5 | 4 | 56% |
| Harry Maguire | 7 | 3 | 70% |
| Diogo Dalot | 8 | 7 | 53% |
| Source: Fbref |
In comparison, out-of-form club captain, 6ft 4ins (1.93m) Harry Maguire, who came on for Martinez in the closing…