Jaap Stam Has Made His Judgement On United Target Martinez

As a deal between Manchester United and Ajax progresses surrounding Argentina centre-back Lisandro Martinez, former United defender Jaap Stam has spoken on the defender in glowing terms.

Manchester United have made clear their desire to sign a new centre-back ahead of the 2022/23 season, with efforts to sign Ajax defender Jurrien Timber failing, leading them to pursue his teammate, Lissandro Martinez.

United submitted a bid of roughly £43m on Friday for the defender, with hopes that this could persuade Ajax to allow the Argentine to leave the club. 

Stam referred to this fee in an interview with Algemeen Dagblad, where the Dutchman said, “Whether Martínez is worth €50m, that is difficult to say. This kind of money has become normal. Especially in England.”

While this may seem to be negative, it is no surprise that Stam is unsure about the price tag, with Martinez only coming into prominence over the last two seasons at Ajax.

Lisandro Martinez of Ajax. (Alamy)

However, Stam does go on to describe how Martinez has impressed him by saying, “I have become a fan of his. I think he’s a fantastic guy, with a good temperament and a winning mentality. For trainers, those are great players to work with.”

This will be reassuring for any hesitant United fans who still have a number of reservations about Martinez, as Stam is perhaps one of the best positioned people to pass judgement on Martinez’s potential move to Old Trafford, having moved there himself from Eredivisie side PSV Eindhoven in 1998.

Furthermore, Stam’s description of Martinez’s defensive awareness and ability to cover should excite Manchester United fans, as this has been a consistent criticism of the club’s defenders since the departure of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand.

The former defender stated, “You can clearly see that Ten Hag’s approach is to dominate matches and control the opponent’s half. Then you play with a lot of space in the back and you need players who are reasonably fast and not afraid to cover. Malacia has that and Martínez certainly (does too).”

Tyrell Malacia is Erik ten Hag's first signing at Manchester United. (Man Utd)

Stam went further to praise the centre-back’s defensive intelligence, by stating, “There are many fast attackers who are merciless on the counter. Therefore, what’s important is that a defender has cleverness.

“Quickly read where the ball goes, a little nudge or push. Then you don’t even have to get into duels. Martínez has also developed that.”

This was not the only quality of Martinez that Stam highlighted however, with the former United player highlighting Martinez’s ability on the ball, something that is integral to Erik ten Hag’s system.

Stam proclaimed, “Martínez is very skilled and creative in his passing. The more he has such players, the more Ten Hag can keep the ball and the less he encounters counters.”

Should Stam’s comments on Martinez’s on-ball ability prove to be accurate, this would validate the pursuit of the Argentine and the potential £43m fee, as it could prove transformative to the team.

Fans of the club should be excited by Stam’s comments on the defender, with the implementation of Martinez’s skillset at Old Trafford likely to boost their chances at achieving silverware over the 2022/23 season.

Manchester United have already announced one signing this summer in young left-back Tyrell Malacia, and are looking to complete a deal for Christian Eriksen soon too, with the Dane verbally agreeing to join the club on a 3-year contract.

Frenkie de Jong is another who Erik ten Hag is keen to add to his squad, and despite interest from Chelsea, United remain favourites to sign the midfielder.