Jamie Carragher was unconvinced on Lisandro Martinez when the Argentine moved to Manchester United, with the Liverpool legend admitting that his prediction was wrong
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher.(Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez has seemingly not forgotten the comments made by Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher when he first arrived in the Premier League.
But Carragher has rowed back on his claims that Martinez wasn't tall enough to work as a defender in the English game, with the Argentine having proven to be a good addition for the Old Trafford side.
While Martinez has struggled with injuries at times, when he has been fit and available, he has impressed. He scored and helped keep a clean sheet against the Azerbaijani side Sabah in the Champions League on Thursday.
"Lisandro, when you first joined Manchester United, I said you were too small to succeed in the Premier League," Carragher told the center-back while covering the game for CBS Sports.
"You've now been here for four or five years, you've completely proven me wrong. It's fair to say you've grown on me."
"That's fine, that's fine," Martinez replied. "Sometimes you have to take these comments from you guys. You have to be smart.
Referee Paul Tierney speaks with Lisandro Martinez of Manchester United after showing him a red card for pulling the hair of Dominic Calvert-Lewin of Leeds United during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Leeds United at Old Trafford on April 13, 2026 in Manchester, England
Lisandro Martinez was sent off for hair-pulling in Manchester United's clash with Leeds(Image: Getty Images)
"If you keep thinking about it, I will play bad. I'm just trying to stay focused, to give everything for this club that trusted me from day one."
"Did you ever watch Jamie and what did you think of him?" Micah Richards asked.
"As a player? A good person, you know," Martinez said, drawing laughter from the pundits in the studio.
When the player was signed from Ajax for a fee of around $77 million (£57 million) in the summer of 2022, Carragher was clear straight away that he had doubts about the deal.
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But Carragher admitted three years ago that he was wrong about Martinez, and the South American also hit back in 2025 in a Sky Sports interview when he shared a joke pitchside with the pundit.
"I know that I am not tall, but I will win," Martinez said at the time. "With every duel, I will be there with personality there in the pitch."
Manchester United is looking to build on a third-place finish under Michael Carrick last term.
It is playing Champions League soccer for the first time since 2023 and will also take on Atletico Madrid, Como, AS Roma, Sporting CP and RB Leipzig before Christmas, and then Bayern Munich and Villarreal in January.