Jamie Carragher knows a thing or two about football. 737 apperances for Liverpool, 38 for England, and 12 trophies to boot. Especially when it comes to defending, he is one of the more knowledgable in the game.
And so when it comes to Manchester United’s problems in defence so far this season, he could well be spot on with his scathing criticism of new signing Lisandro Martinez.
A £51m signing from Ajax back in July, the Argentine has come under huge criticism despite only playing 135 minutes of Premier League football.
Bullied at Brentford last Saturday, the 24-year-old was substituted at half-time for Raphael Varane with the Red Devils 4-0 down to the Bees at the interval.
And Carragher believes that Erik ten Hag will find even more shortcomings throughout the season should Martinez continue to play in a back four with his height being a standout reason for their failures at the back.
“The problem [Ten Hag] has got straight away is the signing of Lisandro Martinez at the back,” Carragher said as relayed by the Evening Standard.
“We should never judge managers or players too early, but I’m convinced this can’t work because he’s the size of 5’9 playing in a back four.
“Maybe he could go left-back, maybe he could play in a back three, but in a back four he cannot play there in the Premier League.
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“Every single team that play Manchester United should target him. If they don’t, they’re crackers. I think [United] have got a huge problem.”
United face Liverpool next week, although tall star Darwin Nunez will fail to take part after picking up a red card against Crystal Palace on Monday evening.