Lisandro Martinez joined Manchester United from Ajax this summer in a deal worth up to £56 million to reunite with Erik ten Hag.
The defender was key under the Dutchman in the Eredivisie and earned the Player of the Season last term.
With Ten Hag aiming to turn United into a team comfortable playing out of defence, the signing of Martinez was key in that.
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A top ball-playing defender, but with a move to Manchester United comes instant scrutiny and that's exactly what has happened.
With the first two Premier League games of the season being painful for the Reds, it is easy to criticise a new signing.
Standing at 5'9, Martinez is very short for a central defender, however, that does not automatically mean he will struggle in England's top division.
Perhaps it would've been the case some years ago when the league was filled with target men and long balls, however, things have changed.
Pep Guardiola has certainly had an influence in that regard during his time at Manchester City.
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Now, a high intensity is vital and technical ability is absolutely crucial for top level defenders, and even goalkeepers.
Martinez offers both of those aspects, along others, in abundance. He is certainly no slouch in the air either, despite his height.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher made a staggering statement following United's loss to Brentford two weeks ago, saying the Argentine will not be able to play in United's current set-up going forward.
"Now, we should never judge managers or players too early, but I'm convinced this can't work because the size of him playing in a back four," the former Liverpool defender said on Monday Night Football.
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"Maybe he could go left-back, maybe he could play in a back three, but in a back four, he cannot play there in the Premier League."
Since then, despite a Man of the Match performance against Liverpool, Carra doubled-down on his stance after complimenting other areas of the defender's game.
"What I would say about him, because of his size, is that is a problem for him. No matter what anyone says, being 5ft 9in is a problem."
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Since then, Martinez provided yet other wonderful performance in a win against Southampton and a very interesting statistic has been shared.
StatManDave on Twitter provided the numbers, and following United's win it was revealed that Martinez had a better aerial duel win percentage than many top level defenders in the league so far.
The United defender's percentage is at 83%, that was higher than Kalidou Koulibaly (75%), William Saliba (57%), Joe Gomez (56%) and Ruben Dias (36%).
Those numbers could've altered after the rest of Saturday's fixtures, however, the point remains that Martinez is certainly not poor in the air.
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Importantly, winning battles in the air is not just about being tall or big, there are many different aspects, such as a player's leap and timing, which come into play.
Martinez will be looking to continue his impressive form into United's next game against Leicester City on Thursday.
Featured Image Credit: Manchester UnitedTopics: Manchester United, Jamie Carragher, Sky Sports, Erik Ten Hag, Lisandro Martinez, Premier League, Football
