When in discussion about Manchester United these days it is usually not long before the conversation turns to Marcus Rashford and his dazzling run of form.
His deflected effort in Sunday's 2-0 Carabao Cup final victory over Newcastle United saw him net his 25th goal of the season and his 17th goal in just 19 matches since returning from the World Cup in Qatar in December. His form has been nothing short of sensational, so much so that he is expected to score every time he crosses the white line.
But even though Rashford's brilliance has been the headline act in United's sensational post-World Cup form, countless other individuals have played their parts in helping the club end its six-year wait for a trophy and tighten its grip on a top-four berth. In fact, you could argue that, perhaps with the exception of Casemiro - who also found the net at Wembley on Sunday, no individuals have been as influential as Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.
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The centre-backs have been at the very heart of United's resurrection under Erik ten Hag this season, forming a strong and dependable spine with David de Gea behind them and Casemiro in front of them. An unlikely centre-back partnership that has blossomed so well since Martinez's big-money arrival from Ajax last summer, the duo, guided by Ten Hag's brilliance, have quickly developed a relationship so strong that you would go as far as describing it as one of the best central-defensive partnerships in world football at this moment in time.
Varane, who has maintained his fitness a lot better than he did in his maiden season at Old Trafford, oozes class and makes it easy to understand why he was considered as one of the best centre-backs in the world for so long during his decade-long stint at Real Madrid. Martinez, meanwhile, is an aggressive and determined character, fuelled with the passion that any set of supporters would instantly fall in love with.
His aggression, determination and Argentinian demeanour have served United so well this season that the initial £46.8million fee they forked out for him last summer now looks like loose change. He is now arguably worth double what the Reds paid for him less than eight months ago.
Although he is yet to cross the line with his no-nonsense, aggressive and bullish style of play, Martinez is a character that you would not want to bump into in a darkened alley. He has proven that he is not to be messed with and does not shirk away from the most difficult of challenges, just as he didn't during Sunday's cup triumph at Wembley.
As well as being a tough nut to crack and a warrior in defence, he has also given United the ball-playing element Ten Hag wanted to add to his defensive line last summer. He is a cool operator in possession and has the ability to pick a pass on his trusty left foot.
Taking into account his aggressiveness and ball-playing credentials, he has been the perfect partner for Varane, who has experienced the honour of playing alongside some of the most iconic centre-backs the world has ever seen, not least Sergio Ramos during his Madrid days. Working in tandem, Varane and Martinez have developed an on-field bond built on passion and encouragement for one another.
That has translated into United, by the end of February, chalking up 19 clean sheets in all competitions already this season. It is a far cry from the paltry tally of ten that they recorded in the whole of last season, in a campaign that is now nothing more than a distant memory.
Though Varane and Martinez have not been present, certainly not side by side, for each and every one of those 19 shutouts, at least one of them has featured in 18 of the 19 of them, the only exception being the 2-0 win over Burnley in the Carabao Cup fourth round a few days after the World Cup final in December. Both of them have played an undisputed part.
The bedrock of United's resurrection this season has been their defensive solidity. They have defended like a Reds team should do and it has been clear in the way that saves, clearances and tackles have been celebrated by defenders this season that they pride themselves on keeping clean sheets again.
Though every football supporter, not least those of a United persuasion, want to see goals and attacking football at the forefront of their club's identity, Ten Hag is taking United back towards the summit built on a strong and stable base.
As Sir Alex Ferguson famously said, attacking talent will win you games, defences will win you titles.
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