Berbatov: Martinez reminds me of Vida!
Lisandro Martinez has been compared to legendary former Manchester United hardman Nemanja Vidic by ex-Reds striker Dimitar Berbatov.
The Bulgarian cult hero sat down with club media before Sunday's Premier League match at Fulham and praised Martinez's willingness to put his body on the line and fight for the shirt.
Berbatov also gave assessments of three of our other summer signings, but his comments on the defender will bring a particular smile to the faces of many United fans, who have quickly taken the defender to heart, with chants of 'Argentina!' being a common occurrence at every game.
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Martinez's aggression and commitment are the primary reason for his popularity, and it's those qualities that lead Dimitar to draw comparisons with Vidic.
“Lisandro Martinez, I think he has no fear. No fear,” said our 2010/11 top scorer.
“He is going into challenges and just in a way, a small way, he reminds me of Vida [Nemanja Vidic] because he is putting himself out there with the body and trying to fight for the team.”
And what of our other acquisitions during 2022? Berbatov is also impressed with Brazilian pair Antony and Casemiro – likening the latter to another old team-mate of his.
“Casemiro was a rock at Real Madrid. I mean he was someone who is doing the dirty work. Someone who does not necessarily take the applause. Or does not get the headlines.
“But you need players like that. [Darren] Fletcher was like that. He is running up and down the pitch and doing the dirty work. You need basically to have players like this and Casemiro is exactly that type of player that can give you that confidence in front of the defence and give a breath of fresh air sometimes.
“And you know if he is there, he will help. And he's selfless as well; he's that guy who can do that on the pitch. I am happy to hear that, in the dressing room, he is also the guy who has been integrated quickly into the team and that helps as well. That's good to hear, it's great for everybody.”
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Berba says Antony is also having a positive start to life at the club, but he admits he wants to see more simplicity in the winger's game.
“Antony is also having, let's say, a good season. He can do better, [and] I will allow myself maybe to give a bit of advice: just be more efficient with the ball.
“Just run, do your thing, be respectful and beat the opposition and have an end product to what you are doing. This is important for the team.”
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In contrast, Berbatov says there is little anyone can teach another of our recent arrivals: Christian Eriksen.
“Eriksen has a great mind and he knows where to pass the ball – something that I always love,” enthused the retired Red.
“Players like Eriksen, players like [Kevin] De Bruyne. Players like Xavi, [Andres] Iniesta, like [Zinedine] Zidane. This type of player, they are two or three steps ahead of the game.
“Is football intelligence coachable? That's a great question and honestly I hesitate how to answer that, because probably you can teach it, but in a small way. But the really good ones? They're just naturally gifted with that thing.“
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