New Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez will ‘struggle’ if he ever plays against Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez.
That’s according to TalkSPORT pundit Gabby Agbonlahor. Assessing Martinez’s display for United at the weekend, Agbonlahor suggested that ‘physical’ strikers, like the Liverpool forward, will cause problems for United.
“When the ball was on the floor and the ball was played in, he [Martinez] did okay. But whenever the ball was played in the air, Che Adams had the better of him,” he said.
“Just physically he kept on guessing to try and get in front and Che Adams would turn him. But he did win his fair share of headers today and it’s a clean sheet.”
Martinez actually had a really good game against Liverpool last week. But following Nunez’s sending off for Liverpool in the previous game, he faced Roberto Firmino. A very different threat.
“I’m not judging off [Roberto] Firmino who kept dropping off on Monday night. I’m judging off proper strikers who back into him and try to bully him and today Che Adams did a decent job,” said Agbonlahor.
“There were moments when Che Adams got the ball into his body and he just overpowered him so I’m looking at him and thinking when he plays against Nunez, [Erling] Haaland, these sort of physical strikers, I think he will struggle.”
Nunez made to wait for Martinez reunion
Agbonlahor may be right to a certain extent here. A lot has been made of Martinez’s height since his arrival in England, and it is likely to be a factor at times.
That only made Nunez’s rash decision to get himself sent off before facing United all the more enraging.
The Uruguayan up against United’s £57m man looks like a mismatch on paper. In any aerial battle, you’d have backed the Liverpool man to come out on top.
In fact, the last time they played against each other, Nunez did just that. It may have been Jurrien Timber who he rose above to head home for Benfica against Ajax last season, but the point still stands.
With no game at Old Trafford to look forward to, Nunez will have to wait until early March to face Martinez at Anfield.
By then, the Argentine will have had time to find his feet in the Premier League. Last Monday could have been the chance to land an early psychological blow from Darwin.
Instead, it was Martinez who was celebrating at Old Trafford.
Nunez will sit out once again on Wednesday night as Liverpool face Newcastle United at Anfield. That’s the last of his three match ban. Hopefully he can return with the bit between his teeth, ready to cause problems for all opposing defenders.
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