Lisandro Martinez on Sir Alex Ferguson’s Man Utd role and why he “wouldn’t dare” cross him

Sir Alex Ferguson retired from management in 2013 but is still a regular face on matchdays at Old Trafford and Lisandro Martinez has opened up on his “connection” to the players, hailing him as “the God of Manchester”

Man United defender Lisandro Martinez has revealed his admiration for Sir Alex Ferguson and says the the club’s new owners have ensured the legendary boss remains an influential voice who continues to give support to the players, even if he “wouldn’t dare” to bother the Scot too much.

Sir Alex is the most successful manager in United’s history after winning 38 trophies, including 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies after an incredible spell spanning 26 years.

The 82-year-old retired from management in 2013 but is still a regular face on matchdays at Old Trafford as a guest of new chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe – and Martinez has opened up on his “connection” to the players, hailing him as “the God of Manchester” as he reflected on his meetings with the Scot.

“I have met Ferguson three or four times. Ferguson is the God of Manchester,” he told Argentinian outlet La Nacion. “He is a person who gave a lot to the club and who continues to give because he remains connected. Now, the new owners have also included him.”

Martinez explained how Ferguson reached out to him after Argentina won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to congratulate him on the achievement and said they had also spoken after United won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in the last year. He added that he was eager not to “invade his space” by speaking to him too much.

“When [Argentina] won the World Cup we spoke a little, he congratulated me. Later, also when we won the Carabao and the FA Cup – he is a legend of world football and I respect people’s privacy. Of course I would like to be able to talk to him, actually listen to him, but I would not dare to invade his space.”

Martinez joined United in 2022 and has gone on to feature 63 times – though the centre-back has struggled at times with injury problems.

He opened up on his fitness woes in the same interview, admitting he was “filled with fear and mistrust” after picking up a handful of issues, including a foot and knee injury that kept him out for long spells of last season.

“It is hard to repeatedly go through injuries, because injuries destroy your head, they fill you with fear, with mistrust,” he added. “Emotionally everything is negative after the injuries: you become insecure, you stop believing in yourself, you don’t even walk well, you don’t know what will happen to you.

“The injuries have improved me a lot, they made me a better person and a better player, a better professional. Precisely, after everything I went through, today I feel very calm, very emotionally balanced. I felt that it was a goal that at some point I had to accomplish.”

Martinez has featured in all three of United’s games this season but has been part of a side that has come under pressure following back to back defeats under Erik ten Hag. He played the full 90 minutes in United’s 3-0 defeat at home to Liverpool last time out before heading on his international break.

His Argentina team beat Chile 3-0 in a World Cup qualifier on Thursday and face another against Colombia on Tuesday before the defender returns for a trip to Southampton on September 14.

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