(Football news) Manchester United have confirmed that Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez has officially joined the club on a five year contract after agreeing a guaranteed transfer fee of £56.7m with Ajax with addons amounting to €10m (£8.4m). The player will reunite with Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford and fans will hope that Martinez will strengthen the team’s defence ahead of the 2022/23 season. 

Speaking after his signing, Martinez said “It's an honour to join this great football club. I've worked so hard to get to this moment and now that I'm here I'm going to push myself even further. I've been lucky enough to be part of successful teams in my career and that's what I want to continue at Manchester United. There will be a lot of work to get to that moment, but I firmly believe that under this manager and coaches, and together with my new teammates, we can do it. I want to thank Ajax and their fans for all the support they gave me. I had an unbelievable time there but feel the moment is right to test myself in another environment. Now I am at the perfect club to do that." 

Interestingly, Manchester United are well stacked in the centre back position with the likes of Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe available for selection so far. While it’s probable that a number of these players are listed in the transfer market, they remain a part of the squad and available for selection if a move away doesn’t materialise. Comparatively, the club doesn't have enough depth up front or the defensive midfield position but they aren’t even linked to players who can fill that role. 

Martinez offers Manchester United more than options, he is a left sided centre-back who has an aggressive style of play and can be described as a warrior. He is familiar with Ten Hag’s style of play and can fit seamlessly into what the manager is trying to implement at Manchester United. He is a threat on set pieces, has an authoritative presence in the box and is confident in his abilities. At Ajax, Martinez averaged more passes per 90 minutes than any other Eredivisie player and excels in switching play and picking out teammates at long distances. Martinez’s performances led him to be voted Ajax's player of the year last season and Manchester United fans will hope he can replicate that form in England.

At just 5 feet 9 inches, Martinez is ‘short’ for a centre-back. However, he made more headed clearances (29) than any other player  and won 79 of his 112 aerial duels, giving him a success rate of 71%. Moreover, his reading of the game is excellent and the player is known for anticipating strikers' runs and positioning himself appropriately to make tackles and interceptions. This combined with his versatility to play at left-back and defensive midfield makes him a very good signing for Manchester United. It would be very interesting to see what centre-back combination Erik ten Hag goes for considering the plethora of options at his disposal. 

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