Manchester United scouts had taken a look at Ajax in recent years but never identified Lisandro Martinez as a target before Erik ten Hag took over as manager this summer.
The Red Devils ended up signing Martinez as Ten Hag raided his old club, but it seems some scouts at Man Utd were unconvinced by the player, according to The Athletic.
The Argentina international has not made the most convincing start at Old Trafford, looking a little suspect at the back as United have suffered back-to-back defeats against Brighton and Brentford.
Martinez is far from the only one to blame, but The Athletic note that some United scouts were concerned that the 24-year-old might struggle at set pieces in the Premier League.
The South American does look a little short to be competing in defence at this level, but perhaps he will improve once he’s settled a bit.
For now, however, it looks like MUFC recruitment figures were right to be sceptical about Martinez, with The Athletic noting that Villarreal defender Pau Torres had been identified as another option who might have been more suitable.
? EXCLUSIVE ?
Cristiano Ronaldo remains part of the #MUFC project and there is no intention of parting ways with him. This is the thinking within the club, and with Erik ten Hag.
Full story ??
— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) August 15, 2022
Those scouts should ashamed of themselves.
Were they not same shitty scouts that recommended Maguire, Shaw, wan bissaka, Varane, dalot, Sancho etc?
Nonsense!!!
United need to re visit the Pau Torres transfer and Martinez needs to be played in defensive midfield.