Already a firm fan favourite, Lisandro Martinez started his Premier League career with Manchester United like a duck to water. The Argentine defender has started all but one game this season under Ajax ally Erik ten Hag.
But how did this defender, seen by many as too small to make it big in European football, end up being one of the top names on the squad sheet for arguably the biggest club in the world?
Considered to be in excess of the requirements of his academy club, Newell’s Old Boys, MartÃnez was sent to Defense and Justice on an initial loan. MartÃnez only managed one senior appearance for his boyhood club as a result of it being the last game of the 2016/17 league season.
But his resolve to debut with Newell’s highlights the winning mentality that has accompanied him to this day.
Speaking to ClarÃn, MartÃnez emotionally recalled ‘When I went to Newell’s I knew I was going to be a footballer.
‘When I had to play near the First Division fields, I repeated to myself that one day I was going to be there. That’s how it went. I was only here for a short time, but thank God I was able to debut.’
The two clubs agreed that, if the transfer was successful, there could be a purchase of 50% of MartÃnez’s rights for 1 million dollars (which, of course, was closed at the end of the season). It was at this point, at this intermediate stage, that Ajax first noticed MartÃnez.
Playing for Argentina under-20 against his Peruvian counterparts in 2017, Martinez’s first scouting report was compiled by his future Dutch club. Taking a concise note of his name and a brief comment on his outstanding qualities, the explorer wrote: ‘[MartÃnez] he plays as a left central defender and has a good technique in accurate short and long passes.’
This brief information will serve as the first of many more detailed reports to come.
However, it only took one game for scouts to notice the teenage defender’s excellent passing ability. Martinez is currently averaging 6.05 progressive passes per ninety minutes, which ranks him in the 99th percentile among defenders for this stat.
The explorer can look at this incredible number and proudly point to his first report.
April 2018 was the next time MartÃnez shone under the watchful eye of the Amsterdam outfit. Playing against South American giants Boca Juniors, Defensa y Justicia put up a tremendous fight to win 2-1 away from home in a notoriously hostile environment. Boca Juniors had 72% of the possession that day. But the defense, made up of MartÃnez as a key piece, remained resolute and took home three points.
The Ajax scout’s report on Martinez’s performance in this hard-fought match described him as having “great kicking and [being] extremely versatile. He leads the field, he’s tough as nails and he plays with determination.
It is this strength of character that Erik ten Hag was determined to bring to his new club.
Following Martinez’s arrival at Old Trafford, Ten Hag underlined this “value” that Ajax detected in 2018. Speaking ahead of United’s pre-season friendly against Melbourne Victory, the Dutchman said: “He’s a warrior and I think the fans will admire it.” . He has attitude, fighting spirit.
‘He brings aggressiveness to the game, in a good way. I think we need that. But he’s also very skilled and can handle the ball and he’s left-footed.
It is this combination of ‘tough as nails’ character and ‘aggressiveness’ coupled with his highly skilled technical qualities that convinced John Murtough and Richard Arnold to bid for the 24-year-old centre-back.
United originally intended to pursue long-term target Pau Torres from Villarreal on the advice of their recruitment department. But given Ten Hag’s passionate support for Ajax’s player of the season and United’s tight transfer strategy following an exodus behind the scenes, Murtough and company. instead, he vowed to back his new first-team manager.
Ten Hag has already used the word ‘grinta’ to describe Martinez’s personality, a piece of Italian vocabulary introduced by legendary coach Arrigo Saachi that roughly translates to ‘act with determination’. It’s a term that highlights Martinez and Ten Hag’s mutual desire to ‘get stuck’.
The next scouting report produced by Ajax came in September 2018 when Defense and Justice faced Banfield away from home. Martinez’s side won 2-0 in a match in which United’s number 6 unusually featured at right-back. He assisted the second goal. As Defense began to feel the pressure during the last embers of the match, the ball was dropped to MartÃnez in his right-back position after unsuccessful attempts to clear a throw-in.
Like the composed defender United fans have by now become familiar with, Martinez held his clearance for a moment, taking aim and kicking the ball down the Banfield half with precision into the path of Ignacio Aliseda. Aliseda calmly caught the dropped ball, moved towards goal and passed the ball over the Banfield goalkeeper before firing on goal to secure victory for the Buenos Aires club.
Ajax’s ensuing scout report stated: “He has a stocky build, is physically strong and his agility is good.” His jumping power and speed of him are also excellent.
‘Nearly bipedal with a functional technique.
‘In possession of the ball, he participates well in the preparation and is always available. Lisandro wants the ball and is always on the move even if he doesn’t receive it.’
This last sentence is probably why Ajax saw the option of playing the versatile Martinez in midfield during his first season. The confidence and awareness to position himself in midfield spaces where he can actively participate led Ten Hag to deploy him as a defensive midfielder on 22 occasions.
MartÃnez’s versatility was further exploited during the following season in which he played as a full-back on eight occasions.
Banfield’s scout report continued: ‘When the opponent has possession of the ball, he can play with space behind him and is strong one-on-one.
‘Lisandro is sharp, fierce and hard as a rock when necessary. He has the mindset of a true winner, keeping his cool but quickly flipping the switch when things need to be brighter or sharper.
‘Always everything one hundred percent.’
The conclusion of this glowing review underscored the Ajax scout’s enthusiasm for this hidden Argentine gem.
‘Please continue to follow emphatically and check back as soon as possible. This may well be the second Nico Tagliafico; a true advocate who knows what’s what.’
With inferior financial backing and bigger clubs to contend with, Defensa went hand in hand with Racing until the end of the season before finishing in second place three points behind the winners. It was during the filming of this season that Ajax scouts began upping the ante regarding their Martinez campaign.
Taking notes on the matches in March 2019, scouts further specified Martinez’s outstanding qualities, saying: ‘Martinez is a player who reads the game and plays with insight. He is proactive, dares to cover and anticipates the balls that are played.
‘A player who makes the right decisions and has excellent touch with his left foot. He also likes to dribble towards midfield.
MartÃnez has continued to excel in the latter department. The defender averages 5.17 progressive carries per ninety minutes. This places it in the top 92 percentile compared to its peers in Europe.
Scouts even approached the future ‘Amsterdam Butcher’ after a match in a ploy to gauge the then 21-year-old’s off-field personality and attitude. They simply commented: “The player seemed calm and confident and he is looking forward to taking the next step in his career.” This maturity and drive continued to resonate with Martinez after his move to one of Europe’s most iconic clubs in the Netherlands.
A year after his transfer, he spoke about the psychological demands placed on young players moving to Europe, saying: ‘I can say that everyone who comes here has to be disciplined and work very hard, because this is top-tier and every detail becomes great.’
In April 2019, scouts signed their dossier on Martinez with a terse but forceful endorsement: “Technically and with insight, a player who can play at Ajax Champions League level.”
Martinez’s continued and commendable drive to expand his technical qualities and footballing vision was made clear when he revealed that he is studying Joshua Kimmich of Bayern Munich.
“I watch football all the time and I watch all the players, in all positions, and I watch how they move. I love the details about the players,’ he explained.
‘When the [Kimmich] he plays in midfield, I like the calmness he has and the way he reads the game.
‘A player has to be smart. He has to be confident, of course, but it’s a decision game and decisions are made with the head.
By studying the games of players ‘in all positions’, Martinez’s willingness to develop his multifaceted skills as a central defender can be explained to some extent, while this unabashed thirst for more knowledge highlights his desire to match his classmates. world.
Ajax completed the purchase of Martinez for €7m two months after the final scout report in April. After three growing seasons under the tutelage of Erik ten Hag and Mitchell van der Gaag, MartÃnez became a local legend and was given the epithet ‘Amsterdam Butcher’. This nickname, which certainly sounds like a Quentin Tarantino character, not only describes the ‘grinta’ that Martinez flaunts, but also the stellar performances he must have put on for fans to bestow such a powerful nickname on him.
In fact, MartÃnez ended his Ajax career by being voted the club’s Player of the Season on the back of his second successive Eredivisie trophy. This personal accolade followed dominant and consistent performances, such as when he faced Erling Haaland in the Champions League group stage. Ajax won the tie convincingly 4-0 with MartÃnez canceling out the Borussia Dortmund striker on a single scoring occasion.
A young player deemed insufficient by Newell Old Boy’s secured a €60m fee from one of the world’s biggest clubs just five years later. Similar to his career thus far, Martinez has met the great challenge of the Premier League and the sometimes overwhelming pressure of Manchester United with open arms and was consequently voted Player of the Month for August. club.
A player with inspiring capabilities on display even as he was finding his footing as a professional footballer in Argentina, Martinez continued to embark on this progressive path to the elite during his time in Amsterdam.
United are already reaping the fruits of what Ajax scouts noted as early as 2017.
Still only 24 years old and full of gringa, Martinez’s talent ceiling is only rising under the encouragement of the Stretford End.
United Matchday Magazine – The Ultimate Match Experience Take a seat for the Omonia game. Get instant access to the best United magazine online!
Get all the match preparation, articles, news, riddles, nostalgia and humor. Online soccer content like you’ve never seen it before. No ads, no clickbait, no fake news – just 100% pure United. secure online ordering Click Preview to see more or shop for just £1.25 / $1.50 Limited Time Offer: SAVE £10 On A Season Pass – Use Discount Code SEASON35 At Checkout.
