Manchester United have all but officially announced the signing of Lisandro Martinez from Ajax as the Argentinean is set for a reunion with Erik ten Hag.
The defender will join the Manchester club on a five-year deal, with United paying a guaranteed €57m for the Argentina international’s services, with an additional €10m in add-ons agreed between the two clubs reports Sky Sports.
This is a big step for the talented defender as he will be joining one of the biggest clubs in the world, in the biggest league in the world and the 24-year-old has already admitted that he found it difficult to play against a player present in the league in an interview last year.
That player is Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino. The Brazilian started in attack for the Reds when they travelled to Ajax in the Champions League group stages back in October 2020, with a Nicolas Tagliafico own goal earning Jurgen Klopp’s side all three points. The 30-year-old clearly left an impression on the young defender as he had some nice words to say months after.
“In Europe I had to play against Firmino,” United’s latest signing told Ole last year. “And he is a very difficult striker to mark because he is constantly getting out of position.
“That generates confusion, you lose the reference… If you go looking for him, he takes you out of your position a lot. In addition, he is a player who moves very well and, on his back, with the ball, it is very difficult to take it away from him. He is very good.”
Luckily for Martinez, Firmino is not likely to start for the Reds this season following the signing of Darwin Nunez, but the Brazilian will certainly have some chance to face the Argentine at some point during the campaign.