Manchester United have finally won an away game and thanks to these two matches, Lisandro Martinez has cemented his place in his side.
Harry Maguire started the first two matches of the season alongside Lisandro Martinez and in both those matches, the summer signing was one of the poorest players in the side.
He was even subbed off at half-time against Brentford but Erik ten Hag still chose to back him up. Against Liverpool and Southampton, the manager dropped Maguire to the bench and used Varane and Martinez in central defence.
This pair performed exceptionally well against Liverpool and on Saturday, they had another stellar outing. Lisandro ran the show once again and for the second game in a row, he was voted the MOTM.
The former Ajax man has been under the scanner for his height but against the Saints, he’s won all five of his duels and now it’s almost become impossible for Harry Maguire to come back into the side.
Back-to-back Man of the Match awards for Lisandro Martinez.
He's been everywhere 🪨 pic.twitter.com/NjveN0e8q6
— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 27, 2022
Can Harry Maguire replace Lisandro Martinez or Varane?
Varane and Lisandro Martinez have formed a great alliance and unless one of them sees a major dip in form, Erik ten Hag is not bringing Maguire back in.
On Friday, the manager had made it clear that while Maguire is the club captain, it’s not guaranteed that he is going to start week-in-week-out.
‘I don’t think it means that when you are captain you are established to play always, especially when you also have Varane in your squad,’ Ten Hag said(h/t Mail Plus).
‘There is competition, and we need that. Varane’s stature is immense. When the team needed him, he was there. His profile, stature and what he won in the past shows he can really contribute. We have so many games and we can see from game to game what we need. There are many options.’
Martinez made seven clearances, won 100% of his duels and also made five recoveries on Saturday and without a doubt, he is a massive upgrade to the sub-par England international.
Manchester United paid a hell lot of money for Harry Maguire but he’s been really overwhelming and for the longest time, the fans were wanting an upgrade for the ex-Leicester man.
It seems like Erik ten Hag has finally provided the solution to this problem in the form of Varane and Lisandro Martinez. The pair not only has great recovery pace but can also help build play from the back.
Ten Hag is not shying away from making the tough decisions and now he’s also publicly admitted that no one is guaranteed a place in the first XI. It’s become very tough for Harry Maguire to come back into the side and now the only hope he has is for Varane or Lisandro to slip up and at the same time, he comes up with five-star performances in the cup and Europa League games.
