Lisandro Martínez can’t find the word but actions speak louder than words. He points to the Manchester United crest and pats it.
“We talk here in the locker room, we say everything, we were very strict, we look, how do you say?”
The badge?
“The badge! We say, ‘guys, this is not possible, we have to change this.'”
The knives were out for United and Martinez after the generational low point at Brentford, his second appearance. Martinez, he Butcher – the butcher – sharpened his own blade.
Nine days later, Martinez stormed through Mohamed Salah after 36 seconds, United became the first English team to beat Liverpool in the calendar year and Stretford End had a new cult hero.
Also read: ‘Only the people at the club know’ – interview with Marcus Rashford
Martinez overcame United’s shield in the last cry on Thursday night. When he approached Sir Alex Ferguson’s stand, at least three Argentine flags were unfurled. Martinez did not realize that previous compatriots of his who donned the United shirt were also greeted with fiery chants of “Argentina.”
“It’s a surprise to hear that, but in the end, you give everything you’ve got and people recognize it,” says the 25-year-old. “So it’s very important to also have that connection with the people because they feel that. In our place, they will do the same, they will fight and as a player, I show it.”
“You don’t play alone. You also play with the people. It’s very important when you have that connection with the people. You can watch, for example, the games we won at home. Without that energy sometimes it’s hard to win.”
A costly £55.3m purchase from Ajax, Martinez is now worth double. He has struck up a steadfast lynchpin with Raphael Varane (“he’s a really good guy, too”) and has been at the center of the United side’s Latino rebranding.
A contender for Sir Matt Busby’s Player of the Year and a favorite for the Premier League’s team of the season, Martinez has defied all the doubters who obsessed over his diminutive stature.
In his investigation of the Brentford hammering Monday Night Football, Jamie Carragher was of the opinion that Martinez would not be able to play in a back four in the Premier League. Earlier this month, Carragher admitted that he was wrong.
“To be honest, I put all my focus here, on training,” Martinez says of the criticism he received. “I can’t control that, you know. It’s just an opinion.
“I understand when people say that, they show me who they are, you know? It’s not my problem. I’m here, I’m very happy, people are also happy with me, I’m very happy to be in this team too and my teammates are the same, You know, that’s the most important thing.
“My goal is to get trophies here, I always train hard and, as I said in a previous interview, I don’t have to prove anything, I just have to prove it here, with my people.
“For example, at the beginning, in Argentina, it was the same. But it’s normal because in football it’s not normal to play center back with my height. It’s not easy either, you know.
“I try to do my best, to be honest, but you have to work very hard. You have to be very smart on the field because you have to be ready in every situation. Because if you’re smart you can win games.” .
“It was tough (at first), sure, because it wasn’t the start we wanted. Sure, it was tough, the result, the way we lose, the attitude was really bad.”
“The team directly changed the mentality, it was like, okay, we are on the ground but now we have to show, fight again. Sometimes it’s good to see the bad things and then you have to change on the field.” “
Erik ten Hag has transformed United into a credible force in six months and they have the earliest possible chance to end a trophy drought that is veering off the rails for close to six years.
Martínez experienced both emotions in successive KNVB Cup finals with Ten Hag at Ajax, who lost to PSV Eindhoven last year at De Kuip in Rotterdam.
Last week, Ten Hag praised the personality of a team that has forged a bond with game-goers. The United manager stepped in amid interest from Arsenal to arrange a meeting with Martinez in Manchester.
Martinez sees Ten Hag as a kindred spirit. “I know him well, his mentality, we are almost the same in that.
“We want to win everything. That’s why we’re here too: we want to win trophies with Manchester United. We’re working very hard, we’re doing very well and we’re going in the right direction.”
“It’s like you open the door for more to come. Yes, it’s very important to win a first trophy to have confidence, to improve further. So it’s very important. You always have pressure because it’s a top club and the demand to win all the trophies We know, but we’ll work very hard like we’re doing right now, we’re ready for that.
“Everyone knows how big Manchester United is all over the world, they are one of the best clubs in the world and I was also with Erik for three years at Ajax. I know him very well, so I think that was also the key to coming here to Manchester United.
“I am not surprised (by the impact of Ten Hag). We know what to do, we know our mentality, we also know what we have to do, and when you do things right (reach a cup final) it can happen.
“He prepares for each game as if it were a final. Sure it will be different because it is the first final, but he will prepare for the match as always. The team will be ready for that.”
Martinez initially resided in the city center but is now based in Hale, where he socializes with former Ajax teammate Antony and fellow Spanish speakers Varane, Casemiro, Diogo Dalot, Bruno Fernandes, Fred and David de Gea. “Sometimes we prepare a good dinner,” jokes ‘the butcher’.
Martínez came to United as an English speaker and that gave him the courage to admonish his teammates during the post-mortem of the Brentford debacle. When asked if it was necessary to upset some, Martinez replies: “Yes.
“I’m sure it’s not easy, but I think you’re players, you have to have personality because everyone wants to go one way,” explains Martínez. “It’s to win trophies. If you want to win trophies, you have to do the right things. And if you have to fight or you have to be strict with someone, you have to do it.”
Martinez’s controlled aggression has reduced his yellow card count to seven this season. One booking was for a heavy hand against Real Sociedad and another for celebrating with the United fans at the Shed End after Casemiro’s goal.
He’s a classic Argentinian defender, but he kept his dignity during the World Cup while many teammates didn’t. Despite a checkered record with Argentine players, United supporters have a fondness for them and Martinez is the most popular since Carlos Tevez.
“I think it’s our culture in Argentina, Argentine players are always like that,” explains Martínez. “We are passionate. Football for us is like everything else, that’s why we always give our all.
“As a child, I remember when I was very young, like four or five years old, I start fighting and I start crying when I lose, so it’s something we have in our blood, we have it in our hearts. It’s our culture.
“I’m always hungry and I want to win everything, you know? Of course I’m very happy that I won the World Cup, but now all the focus is on Manchester United and my club.
“The reception from my teammates (after the World Cup) was incredible. I feel a lot of love for them and that’s very important. I feel very good here and now we have to look forward.”
Soft-spoken, courteous and sporting a boyish smile, Martinez’s personality off the pitch is the polar opposite of his incendiary approach when he crosses the white line. Martínez has only been sent off once in Argentina and can control his temper.
“I can do it, otherwise I’ll get suspended from every game. You have to be smart.”
It’s hard?
“Yes. It’s hard. It’s very hard,” he laughs. “Sometimes I want to kill, but you also have to control.”
The butcher can cut deep.
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