Daley Blind hits back at critics of Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez

Daley Blind thinks Lisandro Martinez's intelligence, aggression and strength make him an excellent defender for Manchester United.

United were criticised for signing Martinez from Ajax in July for a fee of £46.8million, rising to £55.3m, with some pundits initially suggesting he was not tall enough to succeed in the physically demanding Premier League.

Martinez made a mockery of those comments throughout the campaign and established himself as one of the finest defenders in England, helping United win a trophy and qualify for Champions League football again.

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Blind is someone who knows what it's like to play as a diminutive defender and he recently lauded Martinez for managing to succeed at Old Trafford, despite the doubts about whether he could adapt to life in Manchester when he signed.

“In England, you have an image of how each player should look and how the physical part of the player should be, but football these days is so much more than that," Blind said in an interview with The Athletic.

"The typical English way of football isn’t seen in the Premier League anymore. So many managers from abroad have brought their different types of football to the table. Matches are now very tactical and about being in the right position.

“For example, with Lisandro Martinez, he has this intelligence but also an aggression - he’s strong. People like to talk about his height when something goes wrong but he is so good on and off the ball that his height is not an issue.

"Martinez is a great player. He’s clever enough to stand his ground in the Premier League and it was the same for me.

"I didn’t have the aggression of Martinez or Vidic, and