In the absence of Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez feels that his partnership with Victor Lindelof at central defense is complementary to that of Maguire
In Wednesday’s victory over Nottingham Forest in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final, Martinez and Lindelof, worked together to prevent the home team from scoring at any point during the evening. Both showed that they are capable of moving the ball forward while defending.
Although he has only started four games in the Premier League so far this season, Lindelof has been selected to play from the beginning in eight cup games across the EFL Cup and Europa League. Additionally, he was selected to play alongside Varane as a substitute while the latter was getting some rest. The club captain, Harry Maguire, received a ban for the upcoming match.
Wout Weghorst, who scored his first goal for the club on Wednesday, joined on loan this month to give competition to Anthony Martial following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite the fact that United have a well-documented lack of options in their central striking position, they have depth across their squad, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the heart of their defense.
The addition of Martinez, who is now Varane’s first-choice defensive partner, has supplanted Maguire as the club captain. Martinez also has taken over Maguire’s previous role. While Phil Jones has yet to appear in a game for this team under Ten Hag’s direction. Lindelof is another respectable alternative to consider.
Martinez, who won the World Cup with Argentina, praised Lindelof after the game for his assured performance against Forest. Martinez went on to clarify that he and Lindelof work together in training and compliment each other’s skills.
Martinez stated following Wednesday night’s triumph, “I think we showed many good things. It was a nice outcome, and I believe that we were in control of the game today. I believe that we are doing a fairly good job of the tasks that we are assigned.”
In the event that both Varane and Martinez are healthy and available to play for United, it is unlikely that Lindelof would start regularly for the club; nonetheless, the former Benfica player has not done anything to hurt his prospects. Off the field, the close friendship that exists between United’s two starting central defenders is another positive sign for the team.
“This is definitely moving in the right direction!” “Bringing 3 points back to Manchester,” Varane said on Instagram beside a photograph of him enjoying the victory with Martinez, David de Gea, and Diogo Dalot. The photo was accompanied by the hashtag “#MANCITY.” Martinez responded with an email that read, “What a pleasure it is to play by your side brother.”
Rio Ferdinand, a former defender for Manchester United, saw them together and was immediately taken aback by how well they got along, characterizing them as “almost like the perfect pair.” This season, they have made a name for themselves among the Old Trafford faithful, which has left Maguire with a lot of work to do in order to get back into Ten Hag’s plans.