Man United manager Michael Carrick claps with Lisandro Martinez inset
Man United manager Michael Carrick claps with Lisandro Martinez inset
That is according to experienced former Everton, Tottenham and Aston Villa scout, Bryan King, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about a surprise new player for the experienced centre-back.
The 28-year-old has endured a woeful start to the campaign and was sent off as the Red Devils lost at Chelsea last week.
Martinez has just one year remaining on his contract at Old Trafford and is expected to leave the club, with clubs in Spain reportedly keen to take advantage of the situation.
Carrick has continued to back the Argentina international, and brought him on a substitute during Tuesday's miraculous comeback win over Roma in the Champions League.
Matheus Cunha's late double has brought a run of nine consecutive games without victory to an end, with Villa set to visit on Sunday.
We're back at Old Trafford on Sunday 💪❤️🔥
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 5, 2026
'He's just so irresponsible'
Martinez has briefly played in midfield and on the left and right of defence in his career, although the vast majority of his appearances have come in the middle.
Interestingly, when Arsenal competed with Man United to sign him in 2022, Mikel Arteta had planned to deploy him as an inverted left-back.
Martinez is a strong defender and good on the ball, but his height can limit his utility in the air.
"He seems to do it every week, Martinez. Okay, he did alright at the World Cup and in international football, but it's not like league football in any league," King told Football Insider.
"There's another kind of play. International football, I'm not sure the challenges are as tough as they are in the league. There are certainly challenges.
"He's just so irresponsible in his play. I could never see him being a central defender. If you're going to play him anywhere, play him in a holding midfield role.
"He got out-jumped by [Dominic] Solanke. He gave an own goal against Fulham. He's done this against Chelsea."
Could Martinez play in midfield?
According to Transfermarkt, all of Martinez's appearances in midfield came during his first season at Ajax.
The Argentine was deployed regularly at the base of the midfield by Erik ten Hag, who did not repeat the method at Man United.
It is unclear why, but Martinez certainly, at least, has the right attributes to be able to play the position.
And with his Man United career already on the verge of collapse, there appears little to lose for both him and Carrick.