Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand singled out World Cup winner Lisandro Martinez and made a rather bold claim about the player, following the Argentine's impressive display in the recent clash against Ipswich Town.
It was a fantastic performance all-round from Manchester United, bouncing back brilliantly from the drab and dismal display at Hull last week, scoring five goals in a Premier League match for the first time since the 5-1 win against Leeds in 2021.
Bruno Fernandes stole the show becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in the Premier League this season, therefore also leading the league as the top scorer too.
Kobbie Mainoo gave us a polite reminder of his brilliance, dominating and dictating the play alongside Youri Tielemans, who also had a stellar game, proving they can play together despite some doubts from fans.
Marcus Rashford had a solid display on his return to Old Trafford. He may still have work to do to win over all of the fans; today was a great start, looking lively on and off the ball and hungry to be effective right up to his substitution.
However, it was the fellow centre-back Martinez that caught the eye of Ferdinand with his wicked passing and creativity. His performance also provoked Ferdinand to make the claim that Martinez is currently the best ball-playing centre-back in the world right now.
Ferdinand's comments on Martinez
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand Presents, he discussed exactly what it was about the argentine's performance.
"Martinez, by the way, we conceded two goals today, but what I would like to talk about is his ability on the ball.
"I would go as far as to say Martinez is the best centre-back on the ball in the game right now.
"I’m trying to think of someone else better who can break the line with passing, who can beat the press when someone comes to him and just move it, take the ball in tight areas; Martinez takes some beating. He was phenomenal on the ball today in terms of his passing, like top tier."
Lisandro Martinez was at fault, however, for the last goal as he got caught on the ball by Julio Enciso, who then found Chuba Akpom in the box for a tap-in finish.
Ferdinand on United's aims for this season
Ferdinand opened by highlighting a potential coincidence when one of his United teams suffered defeat on opening day, then went on to win the league.
"I can’t remember the year, but we lost to a team that was promoted, and we won the league that year. We won the league that year! It can happen, but it ain’t going to happen this year: Arsenal are going to win the league.
"Man United aren’t here to win the league. The people that are running the club and Michael Carrick, as much as they would like to, in there most serious thoughts they are not saying we are title challengers right now.
"With their serious hat on, outside of press conferences and talking in public, they are not thinking that.
"Sensible, realistic heads are thinking about a year of consolidation, a chance to finish in the Champions League (places) is a must, that’s the lowest, and if we get a trophy on top of that, what a season we’ve had.
Man United may still be missing many key players to challenge for the title, with most people fearing for the defence after conceding four goals in two games, however, with the state that the teams in the league are in right now, there is always a chance.
Manchester City are still somewhat of a question mark, as we wait to see if Enzo Maresca is the right man to replace Pep Guardiola. Chelsea are in a similar situation as United, exciting attack but a leaky defence that has conceded five goals already.
Liverpool are still yet to win this season and many of their fans are furious with their strategies in the transfer market, and while Arsenal look far and away the most solid as a unit, they arguably still miss a world-class talent in their attack.
Therefore, while United may not be expecting to be in a title race this season, there is definitely a chance that they could find themselves in one.
