Ruben Amorim eyeing ‘amazing’ Lisandro Martínez replacement at Manchester United

Ruben Amorim is looking to bolster Manchester United’s backline this year and Lisandro Martínez could be one player being replaced.

Lisandro Martínez joined Manchester United in the summer of 2022 as one of Erik ten Hag’s most important signings.

The Argentine defender, who had major question marks about his height, immediately became one of United’s best players as they finished third in the Premier League during his debut campaign.

However, towards the end of that season, Martínez suffered injury during a Europa League clash against Sevilla and was ruled out for the rest of the season.

He also had another setback in the following season and has since never rediscovered the form he showed during the 2022/23 campaign under Ten Hag.

That isn’t to say that Martínez hasn’t been a useful player, and his excellent passing ability can be useful under new boss Ruben Amorim.

However, the 26-year-old defender often struggles to defend wide areas as he doesn’t have the physicality or pace needed. That is something essential to playing as a wide centre-back in Amorim’s system.

Amorim identifies Martínez replacement at United

This has led to talks about the former Ajax defender eventually being replaced, although that is unlikely to come this month due to much more important priorities within the squad.

But it does appear that Amorim has already identified a potential replacement for Martínez in the longer term, and it is a player he is very familiar with.

According to a report from The Mirror, the new United boss has Sporting centre-back Goncalo Inacio ‘high on his wish-list’ ahead of the summer window.

The 39-year-old promised to not raid his former club in January but will look to add Inacio, who he brought through the Sporting youth ranks, in the upcoming summer window.

How much would Inacio cost United?

It has been well reported that Inacio, who has been described as ‘amazing’, has a release clause of £51 million in his contract at Sporting, which expires in June 2027.

Whether or not the Portuguese club would be willing to negotiate on that fee in the upcoming window remains to be seen.

No matter what, it appears that the 23-year-old has the exact skillset Amorim desires, and it is also a plus that he’s already played in the system.

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Of course we do not want a repeat of Ten Hag’s era, where signing former players of the manager became too much of a focus, but an addition like this may be the right move.

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