Still faced with an extensive list of injuries in defence, Manchester United have been relying on Lisandro Martinez at left-back.
While Martinez quickly emerged as Man United’s centre-back of choice upon signing for the club in 2022, Erik ten Hag has identified him as an ideal replacement for Luke Shaw, who remains sidelined due to lingering calf, thigh, and shin issues.
Although recent arrival Noussair Mazraoui is a right-back, Ten Hag has used him to fill the void left behind by Shaw, however, he too has endured injury concerns of his own.
Even as Mazraoui returned to action in United’s 2-1 victory over Brentford this past weekend, Ten Hag still resorted to using Martinez as his starting left-back, thereby signaling his confidence in the player’s ability to shift to full-back despite being naturally inclined to play in the centre.
As one of United’s few left-footed defenders, the question remains – is Martinez a solid enough option to deputise Shaw going forward, or would he be best kept in his primary position?
The Athletic praised Martinez for his performance at left-back against Brentford, highlighting how he offered plenty of width, as his heat map suggested, while also doing well to support his winger, Alejandro Garnacho, and proving to be a constant hindrance to the opposition’s attack.
Martinez showed his usual physicality despite being on the left flank, winning three of five ground duels as well as his only aerial duel.
He was all over his marks on the day, making three tackles, two interceptions, and two clearances. He was also only dribbled past on two occasions, a respectable feat in what is an unusual position for the Argentine.
Taking just 63 touches, Martinez completed 33 of his 42 passes, proving to be highly involved in United’s build-up play. He also completed one key pass. (Stats via Sofascore)
But while he may have performed well against Brentford, is this always the case?
The only other appearance that Martinez made at left-back was during the FA Community Shield against Manchester City.
Throughout the match, he proved to be a solid component in United’s defensive wall, keeping a clean sheet until Bernardo Silva grabbed a cheeky equalizer at the death of the match to send the game to penalties.
In terms of his physicality, Martinez was at his peak, getting the best of Erling Haaland and his teammates to win all three of his ground duels. He completed a jaw-dropping 32 of his 35 passes for a 91% passing accuracy while completing both of his long ball attempts.
He completed three tackles in total while never being dribbled past the entire match. (Sofascore)
While it appears that Mazraoui and Dalot are more than capable of being the full-back pairing that United needs, the team can rest assured that the left-footed Martinez exists as a more than capable deputy at left back, particularly as Shaw and his natural back-up Tyrell Malacia continue to rehabilitate from their injuries.
Clearly, Martinez is a dynamic defender who also proves to be a reliable option in times of distress. Ten Hag would do well to consider how best to utilize the Argentine during tomorrow night’s Europa League showdown with Fenerbahçe.
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