Virgil van Dijk insisted that scepticism over Lisandro Martinez’ height was “absolute rubbish” earlier in the season – and the Dutchman has been proved right.
Manchester United are on a high after ending a six years trophy drought when they won the Carabao Cup. Clashes between United and Liverpool have been some of the most entertaining and ferocious in the Premier League history given the anomosity between the two sides.
However, that fierce rivalry didn’t deter Virgil van Dijk from speaking out in defence of Lisandro Martinez. The latter was criticised following his blockbuster summer switch to Old Trafford.
Martinez arrival from Ajax was shrouded by scepticism from fans and pundits. Majority believed that the Argentine 5ft 9 frame would struggle to cope with the rigorous demands of the Premier League.
However, Van Dijk was having none of it when he spoke to Gary Neville. He said, “people talking about Lisandro Martinez and his height are talking absolute rubbish. It can help as a centre-back if you’re a bit taller. But what he’s done since coming to the Premier League has been good. He’s a good signing for Man united. He’s good on the ball, he’s very passionate. So i can only speak positively about him”.
Given that Van Dijk has established himseld as one of Europe’s finest defenders, it shouldn’t come as any great surpirse that he knew exactly what he was talking about. As such, his verdict on Martinez has proved to be spot-on.
Martinez on the other hand has silenced critics and has struck up an effective partnership with Raphael Varane at the hear of United’s defence. Captain Harry Maguire has effectively lost his spot in the team and has spent majority of the campaign sitting on the bench.
The capture of Martinez and former Casemiro has reinforced the spine of Manchester United’s team. It has also resulted to the structure and stability they were desperately lacking under previous regimes.
United’s progress under Erik ten Hag cannot be understated. In just a matter of months, the Dutchman has transformed the mess he inherited into a team that looks capable of challenging for major honours again.
Martinez has more than played his part in that – just as Van Dijk predicted. And the Liverpool man may well find out first-hand just how right he was on Sunday.