Very short? Martinez silences critics at Man United

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Only two games had passed and some were already wondering if Lisandro Martínez had a future at Manchester United.

Within months, the world champion player with Argentina had established himself as a cornerstone in United’s fight for four trophies. And he has become one of the most dominant defenders in the English Premier League.

“At the beginning, in Argentina, it was the same,” Martínez said of the doubts. “But that’s normal, because in football it’s not very common to play as a central defender with my height.”

Martínez, 1.75 meters tall, was considered too small for this position as Prime Minister. And in August, a 4-0 loss to Brentford was seen by many as the clearest evidence the defender couldn’t handle the mission.

Former Liverpool centre-back and current sportscaster Jamie Carragher has described the Argentine’s height as a “big problem” for United manager Erik ten Hag.

“I can’t control that, it’s just an opinion,” Martinez said, “I understand when people say that. They show me who they are. It’s not my problem.”

United paid almost $58million to sign Martinez last year, from Ajax and identified by Ten Hag as a key part of their rebuild at Old Trafford.

The two worked together for three years at the Dutch club, and Martínez’s ability to play with his left foot was seen as vital in the new strategist’s plans.

But the focus was on his stature, rather than his skills with the ball, after the Red Devils’ back-to-back defeats in the opening two league games, including the humiliation at Brentford.

Martínez has not only been the target of attacks from rival players, but also of criticism.

“It was tough, of course, because you don’t want to have a start like that,” he said. “The result was tough, the way we lost. The attitude was very bad. But the team immediately changed its mentality. We said, ‘Well, we’re down, but we have something to prove. We must fight again. Sometimes it’s good to see the bad things and then have a transformation on the pitch.”

Few would have expected United to remain in contention in four separate tournaments after that dismal start.

On Thursday, the English club knocked Barcelona out of the Europa League, winning 2-1 in the second leg at Old Trafford. Man U can claim their first trophy of the season on Sunday by beating Newcastle in the English League Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

Third in the Premier League, United also has a chance of being crowned there. And in the FA Cup, he has already anchored in the fifth round.

While Ten Hag values ​​Martinez’s technical qualities, it’s his fighting spirit that has captured the hearts of the fans.

“And we Argentines are always like that, we are passionate,” explained Martínez. “For us, football is everything, that’s why we always try to give our all. I remember as a child, when I was very small, at 4 or 5 years old, I started fighting and crying when I was losing, so it’s something that we carry in our blood and in our heart. It’s our culture.”

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James Robson is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson