Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has claimed Manchester United center-back Lisandro Martinez is too short to be effective in set-pieces, saying center-backs need to be over 6 feet 3 inches to deal with aerial threats.
Carragher Lauds Manchester United’s Martinez, But Says He Would Not Have Bought Him
Many pundits, including Carragher, have been vocal with their concern about Martinez’s modest stature since Erik ten Hag brought the Argentine to Old Trafford in the summer of 2022. On Wednesday, the Englishman rehashed said concerns, claiming Martinez, who stands at 5 feet 9 inches, cannot help United much in set-pieces.
Carragher explained himself on the Stick to Football podcast, saying (via The Daily Mail):
“I said this when Manchester United signed him, but I did worry about Lisandro Martinez for his height.
“If I was a manager, I would never buy a defender that small and the reason being it’s not just him, I like him as a player and he’s got great spirit, he’s brilliant on the ball, he’s aggressive.”
He added:
“But the way football is now, probably 20 years ago I used to play full-back, and you’d normally have a back four, one of your full-backs would be tall as well for set-pieces.
“But the way the games now, because full-backs are almost like wingers, there’s not that many big players in your team, so your full-backs aren’t the biggest anymore.”
Carragher concluded by adding:
“I always think for set-pieces, your center-backs sometimes and even your striker now – how many teams play with a massive player up front – it doesn’t really happen as much.
“Your two center-backs have got to be, just for set-pieces, 6ft 3in, 6ft 4in, so at least you’ve got those two pillars.”
How Has Martinez Fared At Man Utd So Far?
Martinez joined the 20-time English champions in a £47 million ($59.4 million) deal from Ajax in the summer of 2022. The 26-year-old garnered a lot of praise for his aggression, agility, and bravado in his debut season, but he suffered a painful end to the campaign. He fractured his metatarsal toward the business end of the 2022-23 season, which caused him to miss around one-and-a-half months of soccer.
He looked to regain his best form this season, but he suffered another foot injury just five Matchdays in. Martinez only returned to Premier League action with the 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in mid-January (cameo) and made his first start since the injury in the 4-2 FA Cup win over Newport County.
Martinez has played 53 games for the club in all competitions so far, scoring once and providing an assist.
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