Jamie Carragher backtracks on his prediction regarding Man United star after ‘poor night’ | OneFootball

Jamie Carragher admits the prediction he recently made involving Lisandro Martinez hasn’t aged well, especially following his recent display in the Carabao Cup.

The Argentine had a torrid evening in North London as the Red Devils were eliminated from the quarter-finals following a 3-4 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur.

The 26-year-old was identified as one of the main culprits, especially for his role in Spurs’ second goal, when his poor clearance set up the perfect opportunity for Dejan Kulusevski to strike from close range. Gary Neville described it as ‘appalling’ defending, while his Sky Sports colleague Carragher was also unimpressed.

The Liverpool legend had always taken issue with Lisandro’s height, believing his short frame impedes him as a central defender.

Nevertheless, the 46-year-old thought that Ruben Amorim’s arrival would help the Argentine’s case by switching to a three-man backline, which allows him to play alongside two bigger center-halves.

Jamie Carragher feels Lisandro Martinez hasn’t improved under Ruben Amorim

But after watching the former Ajax man struggle against the Spurs, even in ground duels, Carragher was quick to take back his words.

“I didn’t think he’d be able to play in a back four because he’d be too small. But he had a really good first season,” said Carragher during his appearance on Sky Sports in the aftermath of United’s defeat to Spurs.

“In some ways, you think he’s perfectly suited to a back three. He can step out with the left foot, got two bigger players alongside him. Even though he played a great ball through for the winner in the Manchester derby, I don’t think he’s looked as comfortable since Amorim came in when I thought this would be the making of him. He had a poor night tonight.”

Carragher insisted he would have never fielded a short player at the back.

“I said this when Manchester United signed him, but I did worry about Lisandro Martinez for his height. If I was a manager, I would never buy a defender that small and the reason being it’s not just him, I like him as a player and he’s got great spirit, he’s brilliant on the ball, he’s aggressive.

“But the way the game is now, because full backs are almost like wingers, there’s not that many big players in your team, so your full backs aren’t the biggest anymore.”

Martinez stands at 5’9″ (175 cm), making him one of the smallest centre-backs in the Top 5 European leagues.