Jamie Carragher has made a swift U-turn over his belief about Lisandro Martinez's future as a central defender in the Premier League.
Martinez put in an impressive performance to help Manchester United beat Liverpool on Monday night. The Argentine bounced back well from a difficult first two matches with the Red Devils, having also started the defeats to Brighton and Brentford.
Following the Brentford game, in which United were smashed 4-0, Carragher made it clear he felt Martinez would struggle in the English top-flight. The former Liverpool star singled out the 24-year-old's lack of height as his main problem.
"We should never judge managers or players too early, but I'm convinced this can't work because the size of him playing in a back four. Maybe he could go left-back, maybe he could play in a back three, but in a back four, he cannot play there in the Premier League," he told Sky Sports.
"The reason why they're gonna have a huge problem with him at centre-back is every single team that play Manchester United - maybe bar Man City and Liverpool, who might feel, 'we don't need to change for Man United' - should target that. And if they don't, they're crackers. They really should do that and I think [United] have got a huge problem."
But a week after making those comments, Carragher appears to have quickly changed his mind. Martinez's aggressiveness allowed him to marshal Liverpool's deadly frontline superbly, making three blocks, seven clearances and four recoveries, leading to high praise from Carragher.
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"I thought tonight would be his type of game. It would be more about reading the game, clever runs in behind, being tight and aggressive, rather than Liverpool playing direct football," Carragher told Sky Sports.
"He’s obviously a very aggressive player and this manager [Ten Hag] knows him better than anyone. That’s what he’s about, he’s a really aggressive defender, he’s a fighter, in those first couple of games he was targeted, but that was never going to be the case against Liverpool, or a Man City, but it still will come and he’ll have to deal with that.
"The thing I would say about Martinez is that he’s really aggressive, reads the game well, gets on the ball well. What I would say about him, because of his size, is that is a problem for him. No matter what anyone says, being 5ft 9in is a problem."
Carragher highlighted Italian legend Franco Baresi as a blueprint for Martinez to follow. Like Martinez, Baresi was a short centre-back, though he was still able to win the European Cup three times with AC Milan.
"But if I think of the best centre-back I’ve ever seen it is Franco Baresi. He was 5ft 9in, 5ft10. He didn’t play in England but you compensate for your lack of height, you have to be outstanding in everything else and that’s what Baresi was," Carragher said.
"Baresi organised the whole team, he was lightening quick, he brings the ball out, he’s almost 10/10 in everything else, and maybe 6/10 in the air, that’s what made him what he was. Martinez showed that tonight.
"He has to be fantastic on the ball, he has to win his duels on the floor, he has to read the game, can he organise the defence and be a warrior? If he’s really good at all of those or fantastic, that will compensate for his lack of height."
