Lisandro Martinez was in action for Argentina on Friday night and now the Argentine media have been reacting to his performance.
In the build-up to Copa America, Argentina played their final warm-up game against Guatemala and Manchester United’s No.6 was in action for the entirety of the game.
The game ended in a 4-1 win for the reigning world champions, despite Lisandro Martinez’s early own goal.
United have two players in the Argentina squad, with Alejandro Garnacho being the second, although he didn’t feature on Friday. Despite not playing, Argentine boss Lionel Scaloni confirmed the 19-year-old will be heading to the tournament.
After the game, the media in Argentina were reacting to Martinez’s performance.
How the Argentine press reacted to Lisandro Martinez’s performance vs Guatemala
Martinez had a mixed evening in action for the reigning World Cup winners, as it began with an own goal but he quickly recovered and showed his class.
Argentine outlet Ole reviewed Martinez’s performance, handing him a 7/10 match rating and also writing a small note: “When the team settled in, Licha began to be transcendent with his deep passes breaking lines from the back.”
This was added to by outlet Bola VIP which was slightly more critical of Martinez, giving him a 5.5/10, along with the following review: “The left-back didn’t show his best version either. Unfortunately, he scored the goal against, was firm in the duels with the rival forwards and a little wrong in the ball driving.”
Finally, TYC Sports gave their player reviews with Martinez getting a 6/10: “The blooper of the goal against in complicity with Molina could have hurt him in his self-esteem and, perhaps, distract him by the feeling of guilt. On the contrary, he overflowed personality, continued to riskand even converted a goal that was annulled by a very debatable advanced position.”
Lisandro Martinez shows exactly what Manchester United have been missing
After a season in which the United defence sorely lacked the presence and qualities of Martinez, it’s great to see him showcasing his abilities.
In his past two outings in blue and white, Martinez has been very impressive, completing 178 passes out of 184 attempts. A figure which puts him at a whopping 96.7 per cent.
This ability on the ball is something United lacked last season as Erik ten Hag‘s side struggled to defend and also retain possession – two things Martinez would have improved tenfold had he been fit for the full campaign.
Next season, hopefully, his injury woes are behind him and we get to see him paired with a Jarrad Branthwaite-esque defender – this could make a world of difference to Ten Hag’s side and potentially a return to the top four and maybe even the title picture.