Pictured: Lisandro Martinez (R) arrives at Carrington on Tuesday with fellow new Manchester United signing Christian Eriksen
(Picture: PA)Lisandro Martinez has been pictured arriving at Carrington ahead of his official unveiling as a Manchester United player.
The Argentine defender, 24, was spotted outside the Trafford Training Centre on Tuesday morning, catching a ride with another of United’s summer signings in Christian Eriksen.
Such an arrival was overshadowed by that of Cristiano Ronaldo, who also pulled into Carrington along with agent Jorge Mendes for crunch talks over his United future with manager Erik ten Hag.
Despite strong interest from Arsenal and a long drawn-out transfer saga, United finally won the race for Martinez last week, announcing they had reached an agreement with Ajax over a deal believed to be worth an initial £48.5million plus a potential further £8.5m in add-ons.
The centre-back was expected to pen a five-year contract at Old Trafford with the option for a further 12 months, with the transfer subject to the usual medical and visa requirements.
Martinez will reunite with Ten Hag at United, with the duo having also worked together at Ajax, winning the Eredivisie title last term and only being denied a domestic double with defeat by rivals PSV Eindhoven in the KNVB Cup Final.
Martinez made 118 appearances in total for the Dutch giants after joining from Argentine oufit Defensa y Justicia in 2019, scoring six goals.
He has also earned seven senior international caps for Argentina to date and was part of the Albiceleste squad who won the Copa America last summer - their first major title for almost 30 years.
Martinez is United’s third signing so far under Ten Hag, following Danish playmaker Eriksen and Dutch left-back Tyrell Malacia.
Depending on when his transfer is confirmed, he could hope to feature in Saturday’s penultimate pre-season friendly against Atletico Madrid in Oslo.
United also host Rayo Vallecano in Ten Hag’s Old Trafford debut on Sunday before entertaining Brighton in their 2022/23 Premier League opener on August 7.
The Red Devils ended their tour of Australia with a rain-soaked, last-gasp 2-2 draw with Aston Villa at the weekend, following on from wins over Crystal Palace and Melbourne Victory. Ten Hag’s side also thrashed Liverpool 4-0 in Thailand earlier this month.
