Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand believes Lisandro Martinez should be played in midfield against Brentford, with both Fred and Scott McTominay missing out.
The pair featured for the Reds in their opening day defeat against Brighton as Erik ten Hag's Premier League tenure got off to the worst possible start. Fred, in particular, came under fire for his role in the loss as he was caught on his heels for the Seagulls' second goal after David de Gea could only parry a shot to the feet of Pascal Gross who doubled his and the away side's account.
Gross' brace was enough for Graham Potter's side to secure the win, despite Alexis Mac Allister's own goal midway through the second half. Martinez, who made his debut alongside Harry Maguire at centre-back, made a steady start to his career but was lucky to not be penalised for a push on Danny Welbeck.
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Former United defender Ferdinand believes Raphael Varane should line up alongside Maguire in their next outing against Brentford, with the Argentine taking up a new position in midfield. He told his Vibe with Five podcast : "I’d play [Christian] Eriksen, Bruno [Fernandes] and Fred [in midfield]. [Diogo] Dalot, Varane…
"Actually, I’m going to change it up. I’m going to play in my midfield: Martinez as the holding midfielder, take Fred out. I’m going to play Varane and Maguire and left-back [Luke] Shaw, De Gea in goal."
Defensive midfield isn't a position Martinez is unfamiliar with. During his Ajax career, he made 22 appearances in front of the back four, scoring twice.
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