How Erik Ten Hag Helped Manchester United Beat Arsenal To Signing Of Lisandro Martinez

Lisandro Martinez is finally a Manchester United player, with his signing officially announced 10 days after the club confirmed they had agreed a fee for the Argentinian.

Martinez has signed for the club for a fee reported to be around £55 million with add ons included.

The player was originally a target signing for Arsenal, however once Manchester United came calling and upstaged the North London club’s bids for the player.

Martinez has now revealed that one key figure in his transfer was of course new United boss Erik ten Hag.

Speaking on the Dutchman, Martinez described: “I was with him three years at Ajax and I know his style of playing.

 “With him, I improved a lot, to be honest. He’s here in Manchester now, so again the opportunity was there and for sure he’s very important in my [career].”

When questioned about what stands out with regards to Ten Hag, the defender was keen to point out the emphasis the coach puts on education.

“[He's] very intense, for sure. Good football. Winning mentality, you know? That’s the most important [thing].

 “Every player needs to have things clear. I think he’s very clear also. So I think, with him, every day you can learn and then, in the game, you can understand also fully – tactics and everything.

Expanding on how Ten Hag helped Martinez improve after he signed for Ajax for a fee of around £6.3 million from Argentine side Defensa, the player was full of praise.

“How did he help me to improve? In how we can understand fully the situations, the decisions inside the pitch. He’s there in every detail.

“I did 120 games in Ajax and I learn a lot, for sure,” he revealed. “When I was in Ajax, my first year was when I was 21 years old, and now I’m 24. So yeah, I learned a lot.

“Now I feel [I play] with more experience, you know?”

Martinez was also very eager to explain his style of football.

Lisandro Martinez

“I really like to help my team-mates, but every player – I want the best for everybody,” he described. “

If everybody is fit and everybody is good, then we can win, you know? Because we can win with 11 players if everyone is good, it will help with each other. This is one of my first points. 

“Then, I’m really aggressive,  I love to win, you know? It’s all about winning. I’m a good friend, also!”

Martinez is not the only one in the side who has recently been talking about being a team player, with one of pre-season’s star men Fred also mentioning how he wants to contribute to the team though being the ‘piano carrier’ of the side.

“Regardless of scoring, I want to help my teammates,” Fred said.

“I want to carry the piano on the pitch for them to score and help the team. The most important thing is that we achieve our goals to take us as far as possible.”

These are traits that Ten Hag admires greatly, and will have been a crucial reason as to why the Dutchman recommended the signing of Martinez over any other player the club may have been considering.