When it comes to Manchester United legends, it is only normal to associate them with minute-long rants about passion, hunger and desire on Sky Sports.
With the Red Devils faltering consistently for the past few seasons, watching club icons such as Roy Keane, Rio Ferdinand and Gary Neville rip into the current side made for some intriguing content.
Nevertheless, the anger seems to have dissipated these days, a direct result of United’s return to form this season.
There are no more questions about the commitment and capability of players, and some are even receiving the seal of approval from United’s very best.
A recent example of this is centre-back Lisandro Martinez.
The 25-year-old joined during the summer transfer window for a reported fee worth £56 million, a figure that already seems justified.
Argentina International has been a transformative presence in United’s defence, bringing both solidity and authority to their leaky backline.
Concerns surrounding Martinez’s height were posed even before the former Ajax player set foot in England, and some were even betting against his success at Old Trafford.
Needless to say, the World Cup winner has effectively refuted all of these claims, the centre-back is easily amongst the best in the Premier League.
Known for crunching tackles and a combative personality, Martinez is essentially the whole package.
His demeanour on the pitch is nothing short of ruthless, as he often clamps down upon opposition forwards before walking away without giving them even a tinge of acknowledgement.
The no-nonsense style even earned a spectacular nickname from the United faithful – ‘The Butcher’.
The 25-year-old’s style of play bears a strong resemblance to United hero Nemanja Vidic, who directly addressed the comparisons on a recent episode of ‘Vibe with Five’
Vidic, whose spell at Old Trafford lasted 8 long years, is known to be among the greatest defenders of his generation.
A quintessential ‘hardman’, the Serbian embodied the concept of no-nonsense; robust in challenges, fearless against the best and an astute general on the pitch.
With Martinez bearing multiple similarities to his playstyle, Vidic made sure to lend his thoughts on the Argentine and give him his seal of approval.
The 41-year-old said, “I like him (Martinez) actually. He likes to defend, and that’s first what I saw when he came. Obviously, I had a doubt when he came, because of his height. But he’s good in the air, he’s got a way with his height and he knows how to position himself.”
Vidic further spoke on the defender’s influence as a strong character, “I think definitely he’s a good character and I think he’s good for the dressing room. Because he has that winning mentality, he has to win, he’s a fighter. “
“I think that desire you need to have on the pitch, and you have to have certain players do this kind of energy lifting, he does that. Unfortunately, he’s injured now but he’s definitely a great signing for us.”
Martinez has earned many feathers on his cap this campaign, and this bit of approval from Nemanja Vidic is certainly going up there.
