Former Manchester United goalkeeper Raimond van der Gouw has said that defender Lisandro Martinez reminds him of ex-teammate Roy Keane.
Martinez signed for United from Dutch giants Ajax in the summer transfer window, and has made eight appearances for Erik ten Hag's side since moving to the club. The defender has become a fan-favourite at Old Trafford thanks to his passionate displays, and ex-United shot-stopper Van der Gouw feels he shares similar traits to Irishman Keane.
Keane made more than 450 appearances for United, registering 51 goals and 36 assists. He also won 12 major honours with the club, including seven league titles.
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And Van der Gouw believes that Martinez has a similar character to United legend Keane, insisting that he is the type of player that you want on your side, rather than against you.
"It just crossed my mind now. [He's] a player like Roy Keane. You like to have him in your team and not against you," Van der Gouw told United's club media.
Van der Gouw also admitted that he was annoyed by the criticism the Argentine defender came under following his move from Ajax to Old Trafford, particularly in the wake of the 4-0 defeat at Brentford. However, he stated that he is not surprised to see that the centre-back has since gone on to win the club's first Player-of-the-Month award of the season.
"I think I felt a little bit sorry in the beginning when they put the spotlight on him because he was making a few mistakes," added the 59-year-old, who was at United between 1996 and 2002.
"I thought he was really good. I said to him that I hated him when he was in Holland because I was the goalkeeping coach of PSV Eindhoven.
"I said to him: I hated you because you were good and was doing such a good job for Ajax! Now I love to see him play for United and he is the kind of player who will never let you down.
"With his character, he always wants to work, wants to fight and wants to win, and that’s typical of United. So I think he’s in the right place and at the right club."
Martinez has established a solid partnership with France international Raphael Varane at the heart of defence in recent weeks, with the pair forming a much-improved backline alongside Diogo Dalot and Tyrell Malacia.
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