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Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has made an honest admission about Lisandro Martinez after the Red Devils' defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League.
Manchester United played their first competitive match under new manager Erik ten Hag in the Premier League today (August 7). However, the match did not go according to plan for them as they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat to Brighton at Old Trafford.
Pascal Gross combined with former Red Devils forward Danny Welbeck to open the scoring for Brighton in the 30th minute of the game. The German went on to net his second goal of the afternoon just nine minutes later.
Ten Hag's life at Old Trafford thus began with a calamitous first-half against the Seagulls.
The Dutchman's side tried to turn things around in the second half and even pulled one back midway through the second 45. An own-goal from Brighton's Alexis Mac Allister in the 68th minute gave Manchester United a chance to salvage something from the game. However, they failed to capitalize on it and saw the game end in 2-1 win for the visitors.
The match saw Maguire and summer signing Martinez team up for the first time for the Red Devils. The centre-back duo, though, could not prevent Brighton from breaching their defense twice.
Reflecting on his partnership with Martinez, Maguire conceded that they were not on the same wavelength today. However, the England international is confident that the two will form a strong relationship soon. He was quoted as saying by BBC Sport journalist Shamoon Hafez:
"Me and Licha [Martinez] have not played much together and were not on the same wavelength at times. I am sure we will get better and keep clean sheets."
It is worth noting that Maguire and Martinez did not play together even during pre-season. They will be hopeful of improving their chemistry and establishing themselves as linchpins for Manchester United in the coming months.
Manchester United signed Martinez from Ajax
Martinez is one of the three players Manchester United have signed this summer. The Red Devils have forked out an initial sum of £48.5 million to acquire the defender's services from Ajax.
Ten Hag will be hopeful that the Argentina international can hit the ground running as he looks to take the Old Trafford outfit back to the top. It is worth noting that Marinez can also operate as a left-back or a defensive midfielder.
The 24-year-old plied his trade for Eredivisie giants Ajax for three years. He made 120 appearances for them during that period, contributing to 12 goals in total.
