Does Vidic rate Martinez and Varane?

Wednesday 16 August 2023 10:00

As a centre-back, Nemanja Vidic always played with aggression and consistently put his body on the line for Manchester United – bleeding for the shirt on more than one occasion.

As such, it might not surprise you to learn he is a big fan of Lisandro Martinez. 

Our former club captain was beloved by supporters during his eight trophy-laden seasons at Old Trafford and he remains a fan favourite to this day. 

That cult-hero status is rare, but it is something that Licha has also enjoyed since joining from Erik ten Hag’s former side Ajax last summer. 

Raphael Varane is also incredibly popular and his name was chanted around the Theatre of Dreams on Monday night following his winning goal against Wolves.

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Vidic was famously one half of a colossal partnership with Rio Ferdinand and they are arguably the greatest defensive pairing in our history, so their opinion on the matter carries weight. 

When talking to us at an Academy event in Hong Kong, Nemanja praised the alliance that Martinez and Varane have forged - and he looked forward to their progress this term. 

“Martinez, he did fantastic in the first season,” said Vida. “He is energetic, aggressive, he set the tone from the back. He was injured for quite a few weeks, but I saw a few games since. He seems like he's worked hard in that recovery process and he seems that he's ready to compete this season. 
“Obviously, Varane is experienced. He has a few injuries during the season and, for him, it is important to stay fit. I think those two, they're a good partnership. 

“They had a lot of clean sheets last season, but I believe there are still a few games where we can do better as a whole team to not concede goals. But, overall, they did very well last year.”

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