Former Manchester United centre-half Jaap Stam says he is a “fan” of Ajax’s Lisandro Martinez and he believes the defender is the type of player that perfectly fits into Erik ten Hag’s style of play.

Stam claims that the Argentinian international’s pace helps to prevent counter-attacks, whilst his excellent passing makes it easier to keep possession of the ball:

“I have become a fan of his. I think he’s a fantastic guy, with a good temperament and a winning mentality. For trainers, those are great players to work with. You can clearly see that Ten Hag’s approach is to dominate matches and control the opponent’s half. Then you play with a lot of space in the back and you need players who are reasonably fast and not afraid to cover. [New United signing Tyrell] Malacia has that and Martínez certainly.”

“What’s important is that a defender has cleverness. Quickly read where the ball goes, a little nudge or push. Then you don’t even have to get into duels. Martínez has also developed that. Martínez is very skilled and creative in his passing. The more he has such players, the more Ten Hag can keep the ball and the less he encounters counters.”

United are currently firm favourites to sign Martinez, despite Arsenal also being heavily linked with the centre-back in recent weeks.

The main issue at the moment is Ajax’s asking price. It appears the Eredivisie champions are keen to get as much as possible for the 24-year-old, and they are now demanding around €60m (£51m) to sell him.

Whether United will be able to find a compromise, it remains to be seen, but Stam’s remarks do suggest that it will be worth investing in Martinez, considering his attributes are an excellent fit for ten Hag’s possession-based football.