Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez is rapidly becoming a cult hero at his new club.
United supporters have fallen in love with the Argentine, quickly taking to him for his stunning defending and aggressive displays that have made the club’s backline almost impenetrable.
Martinez made the switch to United from Ajax in a £55m move and he already seems to be worth every penny.
Against West Ham, the centre-back was colossal at the heart of United’s defence, where he partnered Harry Maguire.
Beyond his valuable contributions to shut out the Hammers’ constant advances and attacks, Martinez endeared himself to fans even more for what he did after the game.
The 24-year-old who has affectionately been branded ‘the butcher’ within the fanbase for his combative no-nonsense defending reacted heart-warmingly to supporters’ acknowledgement of his services to them so far.
A group of fans held up a massive banner of the Argentina flag with a picture of a meat cleaver, mostly used by butchers, at the centre.
Martinez took notice on social media and reacted by saying, “incredible,” – his message accompanied by a mind-blown and heart-on-fire emoji.
Lisandro Martínez on Instagram reacting to his new flag, which has been banned from the Stretford End pic.twitter.com/jCKzKGvqpQ
— utdreport (@utdreport) October 30, 2022
However, the banner has been banned by the club from being rolled out at Old Trafford, presumably due to the fact that it contains the image of a deadly weapon.
Nevertheless, the effort was not lost on Martinez, who will undoubtedly be buoyed by the act.
This is just the latest expression of United fans’ love for Martinez. Recently during games, match-going fans have been chanting, “Argentina! Argentina! Argentina!” in unison whenever the defender is on the ball.
Los aficionados del Manchester United gritando Argentina, Argentina cada vez que Lisandro Martínez toca el balon @giraltpablo pic.twitter.com/QMPtDoqZuP
— Luis_angelmayora (@LAngelmayora) October 30, 2022
Hopefully, Martinez can carry on in the same fashion and continue to cement himself as a core player for Erik ten Hag for many years.
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