Manchester United complete signing of Lisandro Martinez from Ajax
Manchester United have completed the signing of Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez from Ajax.
On July 17, the 20-time English champions announced that they had reached an agreement with Ajax for the transfer of the 24-year-old, who then flew to Manchester alongside his agents.
“Manchester United is delighted to announce the club has reached agreement with Ajax for the transfer of Argentine international defender Lisandro Martinez, subject to medical, to player terms being finalised, and to UK visa requirements,” read a statement on the club’s official website earlier this month.
The Red Devils have now revealed that the transfer has officially gone through, with the centre-back signing a five-year deal at Old Trafford, with the option of a further 12 months.
“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,” Martinez told the club’s official website.
“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 this.”
Meanwhile, Man United’s football director John Murtough added: “Lisandro is an outstanding player who will bring further quality and experience to Erik [Ten Hag]’s squad.
“We are delighted that he has chosen to join Manchester United and we are looking forward to seeing him develop further and help the team achieve the success we are aiming for.”
Martinez was a key player for Ajax last season, scoring once and providing four assists in 36 appearances in all competitions, while he played 120 times for the Dutch side after arriving at the club from Defensa y Justicia in 2019, helping the team win back-to-back league titles and the KNVB Cup.
At 5ft 9in, he will be one of the smallest centre-backs to play in the Premier League, although there have been claims that he could also be used as a defensive midfielder by Ten Hag.
The new Man United boss recently called Martinez “a warrior” as he detailed what the South American would bring to the team during his time at the club.
“He’s a warrior and I think the fans will admire him. He has an attitude, fighting spirit. He brings aggressiveness in the game, in a good way. I think we need that. But also, he’s also skilful and he can deal with the ball and he’s left-footed,” Ten Hag told MUTV.
“I think the Premier League is high intensity, lots of challenges. We need such players. I know from South Americans… I call it grinta. Controlled, aggressive. You need that in your game and with him we have such a player.”
Martinez could potentially make his Man United debut in either Saturday’s pre-season clash with Atletico Madrid or Sunday’s contest with Rayo Vallecano.
