Lisandro Martínez explains three reasons why Matthijs de Ligt is “special” for Man United’s system

Lisandro Martínez has explained three reasons why new Manchester United signing Matthijs de Ligt is “special” for Erik ten Hag’s system.

Martínez, 26, is expected to play a big role for United this season after an injury-ridden 2023/24 campaign.

The defender only played 14 games for the club last term but managed to conjure a top performance alongside Raphaël Varane to help United win the FA Cup final against Manchester City.

He was one of the most important players for Ten Hag in his first season after moving from Ajax, and now the manager has added two more of his defensive lieutenants from his time at Amsterdam.

Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui have signed for the Old Trafford outfit this summer, and the Dutch defender is expected to partner Martínez in the heart of United’s defence.

While the pair never played together at Ajax, with the Argentine joining after De Ligt’s move to Juventus, their playstyles seem to complement each other.

“I’m so excited about Matthijs, about Noussair. We are here to help them, and they are really good players,” Martínez told the BBC.

The 26-year-old centre-back explained how De Ligt will help the United backline in three specific ways, including the ability to have a high defensive line.

“That’s why Manchester United bought them,” he added. “And they will show quickly because they have really good qualities, and they like to play football, and they are special for our system.

“I think Matthijs will give us a strong personality, playing from the back, defending high. I can’t wait to play with him.”

Many supporters have previously been critical of United’s defensive line, which was often too deep and contributed to the huge gaps in the team’s structure last term.

With De Ligt and Leny Yoro bolstering the centre of the backline, Ten Hag will be hoping to be able to play with a higher line in order to start dominating games more often.

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Thursday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.