“He’s gonna get bullied all season”, “I feel sick” – Manchester United fans express disappointment with 24-year-old star after his performance in 4-0 loss at Brentford
Manchester United supporters were dismayed at the performance of Lisandro Martinez during their 4-0 defeat at Brentford on Saturday, August 13.
The Red Devils suffered one of their worst ever Premier League defeats at the Brentford Community Stadium. The side, who are only in their second top-flight season, tore them apart in the first half itself.
Individual errors and a blatant lack of fight from nearly every player plagued Erik ten Hag's side throughout the 90 minutes. The Dutchman is currently leading a side clearly devoid of confidence.
Full-time.
#MUFC || #BREMUN
Martinez in particular had a torrid time as he was dominated by Brentford players throughout the clash. This was encapsulated perfectly when the 5' 9" centre-back was beaten to a header by Bees defender Ben Mee, who nodded in the host's third goal.
The 24-year-old signed for Manchester United from Ajax earlier this summer in a deal worth £56.7 million (Sky Sports). However, many had questioned whether Martinez's lack of height would cause a problem.
Judging by the Argentine's first two performances in English football, United may struggle to defend set pieces for much of the campaign.
Martinez was hooked at half-time following a desperate performance. Fans took to Twitter to express their concern over the defender's lack of physical presence:
Maybe Martinez height will matter....
There's no way Lisandro Martinez is 5'9. They're exaggerating his height like he's in WWE
@AndyMufcTally Martinez cannot play CB for us, he’s gonna get bullied all season long
@markgoldbridge Shocking signing. He’s going to be targeted every game!
@markgoldbridge Wth
You realise this now?
@markgoldbridge Terrible signing
@markgoldbridge I feel sick
Erik ten Hag takes responsibility for humilating Manchester United defeat
Many knew that the Dutch boss would have a difficult job on his hands when he was appointed. However, this result really does emphasize how much a rebuild is required at Manchester United.
Despite a good pre-season, Ten Hag has suffered two defeats from two so far in charge of the Red Devils as they sit bottom of the Premier League table. They lost 2-1 against Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford in their first game of the campaign.
Following the thrashing against Brentford, the former Ajax manager told BBC Sport:
"It is my responsibility to give an explanation. It is clear the performance was really poor. When you make mistakes like this, you can't win the game. It is about taking responsibility on the pitch, you cannot make such mistakes at our level. We had to deal with the disappointment and bring the belief on the pitch."
He added that while Manchester United need to sign more players, the current players have to do better as well. Ten Hag said:
"You have to be ready for a game and be ready for the battle as individuals and as a team. We have to push each other and bring the demands in because it is not good. It is clear we need players but I don't want to think about that in this moment."
He added:
"The good players we had should have been better. I hoped for a better start, but still I have to believe because I have seen good things but the two games from now are disappointing."
@SarahShepSportLisandro Martinez replaced at half time by Erik ten Hag.
At 5ft 9in, in a more physical environment than Eredivisie, will his size prove more of an impediment? #MUFC
How much does size matter for Premier League centre-backs?
📝 @SarahShepSport
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