What would Martinez bring to Man Utd?

Manchester United already have an army of centre-backs but Erik ten Hag is closing in on Lisandro Martinez to boost his defence for the new season.

The Argentine was generally deployed at the back under Ten Hag at Ajax but can also operate in defensive midfield.

Martinez is only 5ft 9in tall - think Dennis Irwin or George Best - but is excellent in the air, more than making up for his stature with his aggression and anticipation.

Known as 'The Butcher' in Amsterdam, Martinez is a fearsome tackler but is also a composed ball-player. His first instinct is to look forward and he completed 93% of his passes for Ajax last season.

Indeed, his desire to be involved in attacks is shown in his shot stats - averaging almost one a game which is twice as much as Raphael Varane and nearly nine times higher than Victor Lindelof.

He only scored six goals in 118 games for Ajax but that could change at United if he does operate further forward.

Crucially too, he's a winner. He already has two Eredivisie medals in his locker and was on the bench when Argentina won the Copa America in 2021.

Old Trafford has seen mixed success with their Argentine utility players - take the achievements of Gabriel Heinze versus the erratic Marcos Rojo for instance - but Ten Hag has a reliable foot soldier in Martinez and clearly thinks his old player is ideally suited to the challenge of the Premier League.