"There are still going to be question marks" - Rio Ferdinand suggests reported Manchester United target could struggle to adapt to Premier League football
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has suggested that Lisandro Martinez may struggle to adapt to Premier League football with the Argentine linked with a move to Old Trafford.
United boss Erik ten Hag is reportedly pushing for the 24-year-old to join him at the Red Devils, having previously coached him at Ajax.
Martinez impressed for the Eredivisie champions last season, making 26 appearances and was named the club's player of the year.
Arsenal fans, here is a little clip of what Lisandro Martínez can do. He was named the Ajax Player of the Year for a reason.
https://t.co/3amFcf8MFK
However, Ferdinand has raised concerns over whether the versatile centre-back will adapt to the Premier League should he make the move.
He spoke on his FIVE YouTube channel, where he began by lavishing praise on the Argentine (via Metro):
"Martinez, left footed, very good on the ball, a very good distributor of the ball."
The former England international then alluded to question marks over the defender's physicality and pace gelling well with Premier League football:
"There are still going to be question marks about him. Is he quick enough? Is he big enough? Is he going to be dominant enough in a league that demands your physicality being tip top? You’ve got to be ready physically to play against these big strikers."
Ferdinand went on to highlight the types of strikers Martinez can expect to come up against if he were to join Manchester United this summer:
"[Darwin] Nunez and [Erling] Haaland have just gone into the big teams at Liverpool and Man City. They are over six foot, he is going to have to deal with people like that on a regular basis.
"Chris Wood at Newcastle, these are big, big guys, you can go through the league and find players of this ilk. Will he be able to deal with people like that because physically, he’s on the smaller side for a centre half."
Ferdinand concluded:
"He has got other attributes, he’s aggressive, he’s a leader, he takes the ball comfortably. So there are pros and cons."
Lisandro Martinez linked to both Manchester United and Arsenal
Arsenal are rivaling Manchester United in the race to sign Ajax's Lisandro Martinez. The centre-back is reportedly impressed by Mikel Arteta’s project at the Emirates Stadium despite interest from United.
His past connection with Erik ten Hag, with whom he has had success in the Dutch league, may pay dividends in the Red Devils' pursuit of the Argentine.
He made 120 appearances under the new United boss, scoring six goals whilst contributing six assists.
🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷 https://t.co/kMWv3fCwVe
The former Defensa player can play as a centre-back, left-back and as a defensive midfielder. Martinez has three years left on his current deal with Ajax.
Manchester United have made a proposal of £35 million plus a further £4.3m in add-ons as per the aforementioned report.