Lisandro Martinez dominated the 2026 World Cup, earning a spot in the tournament’s best XI. Yet, injury concerns and shock transfer rumors now cloud his Manchester homecoming.
What's Man Utd's best centre-back pairing?
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The 2026 World Cup concluded yesterday with a tight affair between Spain and Argentina, and in the wake of a fascinating tournament, data analysts are starting to define the top players during the competition.
Manchester United had twelve current players competing in the tournament, with Bruno Fernandes, Lisandro Martinez, and Matheus Cunha topping the minutes played for their nations.
Players like Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, who topped the goals and assists charts, are obviously recognised as the tournament's best performers.
WhoScored has released its best XI for the tournament, and there are some surprising names enlisted in the team.
After a stellar campaign for Argentina, United defender Martinez has been recognised as one of the best defenders for the 2026 rendition of the World Cup and will arrive back at Carrington with confidence.
The 28-year-old played seven out of the eight games for Argentina, missing the Jordan game due to squad rotation. Lionel Scaloni's men reached the final, but were ultimately bested by a superior Spanish outfit.
Martinez's campaign has earned him a place in WhoScored's best eleven, partnering with Pau Cubarsi in central defence. The 19-year-old won FIFA's Young Player of the World Cup, which shows the standard of this team.
The United defender caught the eye with his inatley impressive passing ability and defensive resilience, and capped an impressive campaign with a goal and assist against Cape Verde.
Martinez recorded 1.73 tackles per 90 during the World Cup and 0.72 succesful dribbles per 90, which means he was in the 73rd percentile or more in both statistics.
His impressive tournament could not be capped with a victory; Enzo Fernandez's late red card was the nail in the coffin for Argentina, and Ferran Torres scored a rebound to conclude the fixture.
The Argentine will return to United as one of the Reds' more senior defenders, and will look forward to a return to the Champions League, and will hope to remain fit for the majority of the season after being absent due to injury for 337 days across the last two seasons.
Martinez limped off just before half-time in yesterday's World Cup final, which is a concern for Michael Carrick, as he was expected to join the preseason camp in around two weeks.
There is, in fact, no guarantee that Martinez will remain at United next season, as speculation has been ramping up about a possible move, with rumours tying Martinez to a certain Spanish side coming to fruition.
UtdDistrict reported that Martinez was offered to Atletico Madrid early last week, but no bid from the Spanish giants has been reported just yet.
The loss of Martinez would leave a seismic hole in the centre-back position. Harry Maguire was the Reds' most consistent defender last season, but at 33-years-old, INEOS may decide to move Maguire on in the near future.
Mathijs de Ligt's injury inconsistency, as well as Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven's lack of senior experience, leaves the Reds in a predicament regarding the backline, so a possible departure for Martinez may have to be put on hold.