Graeme Souness has issued a scathing assessment of Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez and even claimed the £56million-man is "not special at anything".
The Argentine international was purchased from Ajax earlier in the summer after a bidding war between United and their long-term Premier League rivals Arsenal saw the Red Devils come out on top. However, a shaky showing on his debut against Brighton followed by the 4-0 humiliation at Brentford saw Martinez come under huge scrutiny.
Conceding six goals inside your opening two outings is hardly ideal for a defender, but some would simply put that down to adjusting to the rigours of a new league and having yet to establish an on-pitch connection with your new teammates - Souness, however, wasn't so forgiving.
Instead, the Liverpool legend issued a scathing assessment of Martinez, even though the former Ajax star has actually fared well in United's last two fixtures which came in the form of wins against Souness' former side in the Reds and Southampton last Saturday.
At 5 foot 9 inches, many have speculated over whether or not Martinez has the required physical attributes to survive in the English top-flight. "He's vertically challenged and I was racking my mind to come up with anyone who's played in the Premier League or indeed the [old] first division that size and been a success," Souness told talkSPORT.
"I think he will get sorely tested and be found out going forward. Against Haaland, Nunes or Mitrovic, oh deary me, it will be a mismatch. He's not particularly special at anything, I would say he's feisty and he's aggressive," Souness went on. "The other thing I don't like about him is he goes to ground too readily. That's not a good sign for a defender."
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"The clever ones stay on their feet and are reading it, they are there, they are anticipating. If you're lunging all the time it means you're not reading it. But I come back to his size, he will get found out in the Premier League."
Prior to a ball being kicked this term, Martinez recieved some backing from a United legend in Jaap Stam, who had watched him closely while at Ajax.
“Whether Martinez is worth €50m, that is difficult to say. This kind of money has become normal. Especially in England,” Stam said, via Sport Witness.
“I have become a fan of his. I think he’s a fantastic guy, with a good temperament and a winning mentality. For trainers, those are great players to work with.
“What is also important for this, certainly in the strongest competition in the world, is communication, and therefore who he will be linked to at the heart of the defence."
Stam raises a valid point and one Souness perhaps should consider - Martinez was initially paired with much-maligned club-captain Harry Maguire, but since playing alongside Raphael Varane he has looked significantly more assured.
