Jamie Carragher is refusing to change his mind on Lisandro Martinez, telling Gary Neville that he's "getting carried away" with the Manchester United defender's impressive turnaround.
Martinez endured a torrid start to his Red Devils career following his £55million transfer from Ajax, prompting Carragher to conclude that Erik ten Hag 's hotly-debated decision to play the 5ft9in Argentine at centre-back in the Premier League simply "can't work".
Since then, Martinez has responded emphatically by winning United's Player of the Month award and picking up back-to-back Man of the Match accolades during the Red Devils' resurgent run of four successive wins. In the wake of another assured display in the Sunday's 3-1 win against Arsenal, Neville wanted to know if Carragher had altered his opinion on the ex-Ajax centre-back - but the Liverpool legend was steadfast.
Neville, speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate Xtra, in partnership with Sky Bet, asked his fellow pundit: "Have you changed your mind on Martinez, by the way?" "No," Carragher firmly replied. "I think he's a good player. I wouldn't want a centre-back who was 5ft 9in in my team. I would not."
As United fans argued Martinez's case, the former Anfield stalwart went on to further explain his verdict, having been a top-level centre-back himself. "We've had four games [of Martinez being in form]. You're getting carried away," Carragher declared. "If [Arsenal midfielder Martin] Odegaard scores the opening goal then you'll be saying he made a mistake.
"But for a defender to be 5ft 9in and play, never mind in the Premier League, at any level of football, he's got to be a good player. Because that is not normal. His passing is very good, he looks aggressive. He looks like a leader. He's not a bad player, but to play at that level of football at 5ft 9in - I wouldn't want to play alongside someone who was 5ft 9in as a centre back."
There has, of course, been a special group of diminutive defenders who've made it at the elite level down the years, such as 2005 Ballon d'Or winner Fabio Cannavaro as well as the likes of Bobby Moore and Franco Baresi. Carragher reasoned that those centre-backs had other attributes which outweighed their size, similarly to how Martinez makes up for his lack of physicality.
"Think of the best centre backs to ever play. Bobby Moore, wins the World Cup. Franco Baresi, I would say he's the best centre back to every play, in my eyes," he stated. "I didn't see Bobby Moore play but Baresi was lightening quick, amazing on the ball, he organised the whole defence and he was still 5ft 9in, 5ft 10in.
Get involved! Will Martinez prove Carragher wrong in the long run? Let us your prediction in the comments section.
"So for Martinez to play at this level, he's obviously a good player. He has to be, because of his height. But at times, that will cost him. But if he is nine out of ten at everything else, it will compensate for being 5ft 9in. Because at times, if you are that height, you will get exposed as we saw in the first two games."
"I wasn't the biggest centre-back and I found it more difficult playing against a Kevin Davies, Bobby Zamora, Carlton Cole, rather than playing against a United or Chelsea or City. Because those games were more about reading the game."
Next up for Martinez and co is a Europa League clash with Real Sociedad this Thursday before a trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday.
