Man United backed to have Frenkie de Jong alternative already in the building after latest – pundit
Lisandro Martinez could be moved into a defensive midfield by Man United, according to Kevin Campbell.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Arsenal and Everton striker claimed Martinez has been found out at centre-back.
The 24-year-old has started the opening two Premier League games of the season but was hooked at half-time of the 4-0 defeat to Brentford at the weekend.
The Argentina international was a defensive midfielder before being converted into a defender by Erik ten Hag at Ajax.
Man United have been keen to sign a defensive midfielder all summer with Frenkie De Jong the club’s widely-reported number one target.
“Let’s put it this way, he’s playing against a physical side in Brentford and we saw him get targetted against Brighton,” Campbell told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.
“He might have a good spring but a big striker with a good spring is going to beat him.
“Maybe in the Netherlands they didn’t play on him that much but in the Premier League, you are going to get it all day long until you rectify it.
“You could see Ivan Toney and the others targeted him and that’s why he had to come off.
“Ten Hag doesn’t know the Premier League so this is something that he has to learn. He used him in the Netherlands and it worked for him at Ajax.
“We know it will not work in the Premier League, it’s too physical and everybody is an athlete, everybody.
“Teams are going to check out your weakness and that’s how they are going to hurt you, that’s what they did.
“Maybe him playing at centre-half isn’t going to work, maybe they might want to stick him in midfield.
In other news, Kieran Maguire has claimed Man United could be sold for an “amazing premium” after a Michael Knighton reveal.