Manchester United star Lisandro Martinez started this year’s Premier League season with a clean sheet REUTERS/Phil Noble

Manchester United started their Premier League season with a 1-0 win thanks to their resilient defense.

When Lisandro Martinez first arrived in England, many wondered if he was ready for the physicality of English football after already impressing with his ball-playing skills at Ajax.

In particular, former Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher said that the 1.75m tall Argentinian would struggle as a centre-back in England’s top division, which features some of the country’s physically strongest strikers.

However, after a few setbacks, the 26-year-old established himself as one of United’s most important players, impressing fans with his aggressive defensive style.

Lisandro Martinez responds to Jamie Carragher’s criticism

The same was seen on Friday night in the game against Fulham, when Lisandro Martinez brilliantly contained Adama Traoré, who has made a name for himself by regularly outdoing defenders.

Martinez put in a solid performance to help United prevent a goal being conceded and ultimately take all three points thanks to a late goal from Joshua Zirkzee.

He gave an interview to Carragher after the game and stressed that his size does not prevent him from competing against the attackers in this league.

“I’m not big, but I’m going to win. I’m going to go into every ball, into every duel with personality… I’m going to show that I’m there on the pitch,” Martinez told Sky Sports.

In addition to Martinez, his partner Harry Maguire was also confident in all his actions and made it clear that it would not be easy for Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro to take his place in the starting eleven.

As for Ten Hag, he will surely be pleased with the confidence and form of his centre-backs after a very difficult 2023/24 season in which United conceded more league goals than they scored.