"He’s better on the ball" - Rio Ferdinand compares Lisandro Martinez to former Manchester United star and backs him to play new role against Brentford 

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has backed Lisandro Martinez to play as a defensive midfielder in their next Premier League match against Brentford on Saturday, August 13. He also stated that the new signing reminds him of former Argentina and United defender Gabriel Heinze.

The Red Devils began their 2022-23 Premier League campaign with a disappointing 2-1 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford last Sunday, August 7. United started with Scott McTominay and Fred in midfield, but the duo, much like last season, were underwhelming.

Ferdinand believes Martinez, who started as a centre-back against Brighton, should play as a defensive midfielder in their next match. He believes the Argentine is good on the ball and should start alongside Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen in midfield.

On his Vibe with Five podcast, he said:

"In my midfield, I’m going to play Martinez as the holding midfielder and take Fred out. He reminds me of Gabi Heinze a little bit, but he’s better on the ball. But Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, Darwin Nunez, Chris Wood, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Danny Welbeck... these guys, if I’m them, I go and stand on him [Martinez] when the ball is wide."

He added:

"Because of the height difference you just do it and then it’s up to him: can he deal with it?... Gary Neville wasn’t the tallest, but if the ball was coming across and he knows he’s got a big fella coming in behind him to smash him over the top, before the ball is even there: bang! [hit them] Put them off, they can’t head it cleanly."

Manchester United signed Martinez from Ajax this summer for a initial fee of £51.6 million. He has played as a defensive midfielder 22 times under Erik ten Hag at the Dutch club and could perhaps fit into the role perfectly.

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Manchester United agree on a €17 million fee for midfield target

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United have agreed upon a €17 million fee with Juventus for the transfer of midfielder Adrien Rabiot. However, negotiations with the Frenchman's representatives are still in the works.

Ten Hag also spoke with the Frenchman, who could move to Old Trafford after salary and personal terms are finalized.

Rabiot has played 129 matches across competitions for Juventus since joining from Paris Saint-Germain in 2019, registering six goals and as many assists.

The France international has helped Juve win one Serie A title (2019-20), one Coppa Italia (2020-21) and one Supercoppa Italiana (2020).