Rio Ferdinand has given his thoughts as to why Ruben Amorim decided to hand Lisandro Martinez the captain’s armband for Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Newcastle.
Manchester United edged past Newcastle United with a narrow 1–0 victory on Boxing Day, decided by Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu’s expertly taken volley.
United began the contest at a high tempo, though Eddie Howe’s tactical adjustments allowed Newcastle to settle into the game. The breakthrough arrived just before the 25th minute, when Dorgu struck to give the hosts a vital lead.
Rúben Amorim’s side remained organised and composed for the remainder of the first half. Shortly after the restart, Amorim was forced into a change as Mason Mount was replaced by Jack Fletcher due to injury.
Newcastle controlled much of the possession in the second half but found chances hard to come by against a disciplined United back line. Standout performances from Ayden Heaven, Senne Lammens and Dorgu ensured the clean sheet was preserved, securing a hard-earned win.
The victory provided United with three important points and a rare shutout, and moved them up to fifth place in the Premier League before the rest of the weekend’s fixtures.
Rio Ferdinand praises Lisandro Martínez’s English
Having just returned to the side after a lengthy period on the sideline after an ACL injury, it was surprising to some to see Lisandro Martínez be given the captain’s armband for the game.
Speaking after the game on his YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand singled out the Argentinian centre-back for his ability to lead the side, while also revealing a surprising reason as to why he thinks the 27-year-old was named captain.
“Yeah, you can see Martinez, you wouldn’t be surprised if he became captain of this club if anything happened to Bruno.
“I just think he’s got a really good way about him, you know. Martinez speaks really good English. I was at the training ground the other day, and I had a little chat with him. Nothing too deep, but really impressive with his English.”
Martínez has come back from injury on top form
Martínez had been out for 292 days, missing 35 matches for his side after his ACL injury which he picked up at the start of February this year, so it was natural to expect it to take some time for the centre-back to get back up to pace with the demands of the Premier League.
Despite this, the 27-year-old looks like he hasn’t missed a step since coming back. In the run-up to the 4-4 against Bournemouth, Martínez picked up 52 minutes across four games, impressing in the small amount of minutes he was afforded.
Read More: Why Mason Mount came off vs Newcastle as Rúben Amorim confirms “felt something” problem
Against Aston Villa however, is where fans saw how impressive the Argentine’s return to the side has been, deputising in midfield after Bruno Fernandes was forced off through injury and there being no natural replacement for the Portuguese midfielder. Martínez made 29 passes, with an accuracy of 91%, while also playing six passes into the final third, bringing calmness to a midfield that consisted of Manuel Ugarte and the inexperienced Jack Fletcher, who replaced the Uruguayan.
It’s been seen so many times that when a player returns from an ACL injury, they look a shadow of their former selves, but the Argentine has immediately looked back to his best, and if he can keep himself fit, he is good enough to play as the left-sided centre-back in Amorim’s system for seasons to come.
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