After agreeing on a contract with Ajax on Sunday, Argentine international defender Lisandro Martinez is expected to become Manchester United’s third acquisition of the summer season.
Ajax has stated that United would pay an initial 57 million euros ($57 million, 48 million pounds), with a further 10 million euros in performance-related bonuses.
“Manchester United is delighted to announce the club has reached an agreement with Ajax for the transfer of Argentine international defender Lisandro Martinez, subject to medical, to player terms being finalised, and to UK visa requirements,” United said in a statement.
Martinez will rejoin with his old manager Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag has already brought in Christian Eriksen and Tyrell Malacia to bolster a group that finished sixth in the Premier League last season.
Martinez joined Ajax, where he won two Eredivisie titles and helped the Dutch champions reach the Champions League last season.
The player has yet to formally sign with the club because the contract is still subject to a medical, the player officially consenting to personal terms, and the successful processing of his visa application.
Many believed that the player would be able to finalise the deal in time to go to Australia to meet with the team before the club’s fixture list, but this is very doubtful.
Both he and new signing Christian Eriksen are expected to join the rest of the squad when they return to Manchester on July 24, and will most likely make their debuts for the club either during the club’s pre-season match against Atletico Madrid in Oslo on July 30 or the following day’s match against Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford.
Following the signing of the defender, there was a great discussion online concerning the player’s height.
Lisandro Martinez is 5ft 9 inches tall, which is quite short for a Premier League center-back.
It is unusual to see a diminutive defender excel in the league, but an intriguing Opta data suggests that this may not matter for the guy dubbed “The Butcher of Amsterdam.”
Martinez’s height would suggest that he loses a lot of aerial duels, yet it has been found that he has the greatest aerial duel success rate in the Eredivisie for any player who has fought 100+ duels this season.
Martinez’s passing is another outstanding aspect of his game.
The positive pre-season performances has Manchester United supporters understandably excited about what this season may bring, and Lisandro Martinez’s outstanding on-the-ball talent will only add to this.
No player in the Eredivisie who played 10 or more games completed more passes per 90 minutes than Martinez (82.3).
Given that he is a central defender, this figure is rather amazing. Ten Hag’s ability to execute so many passes so quickly and with such accuracy on the ball will help him control matches in the same manner he did with Martinez at Ajax.
So, United fans can be more than excited to see this defender shine at Old Trafford!
