Lisandro Martínez has given Manchester United a problem that looks more awkward by the week. His display for Argentina has strengthened the case for keeping him, but it has also reminded the club why he is the senior defender most likely to be considered if they need to fund a new centre-back. He is 28, entering the final year of his contract, and United hold a 12-month extension option.
He also missed the first three months of the campaign, then more time between February and March with a calf injury. That history is part of the calculation, even if the latest signs are better. Against Honduras in a warm-up friendly, he almost scored with an overhead kick that sailed over the bar, a moment that summed up how lively he has looked on international duty.
Why his Argentina form matters for United
The fit and sharp version of Martínez is the one United would want to keep around. The mirror.co.uk match report said that, after several injuries that hampered his playing time at Manchester United, he looks “fit and ready whenever needed.” Manchester Evening News went further, saying it could be time to cash in this summer if he performs well at the World Cup, because that would increase his value.
That view is hard to dismiss. Martínez has averaged a 7.0 rating across his last five league matches and played 477 minutes in that spell, including 93 and 98 minutes in his two most recent appearances. He looks like a player whose level and workload have returned, which is exactly why the market would still treat him as saleable.
Why he is the likeliest senior defender United would move
The rest of United’s centre-back picture makes the decision narrower. Manchester Evening News noted that United would essentially be choosing between Martínez, Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire if they needed to sell a centre-back to bring in a new face. De Ligt has no recent league appearances in the sample used here after his back surgery, while Maguire’s latest sampled league performance was an 8.3-rated outing with an assist.
That leaves Martínez as the defender with the clearest resale value. The same outlet called him the only senior centre-back with reasonable value in the transfer market, which is the part of this story that matters most. United may not want to lose him, but if they do need to make room for a new arrival, he is the one the market would pay for.
Manchester United still have options, and Martínez still has a chance to make the argument disappear with his form for Argentina. But the contract situation, the injuries and the resale value all point in the same direction. If he keeps looking this sharp, United’s summer conversation may be about whether to sell him, not whether they can afford to keep him.
Compiled by the ClutchBrief Desk with AI assistance, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →