Haaland vs Martinez labelled 'mismatch' - but video shows defender proving that wrong

And one man believes he will face a tall order in the Manchester derby next season.

Trevor Sinclair told talkSPORT, ahead of next season's Manchester derby, he's got fears about Martinez's size differnce compared to Erling Haaland

But he needn't be worried, because when the pair went head to head last season, City new boy Haaland didn't get a sniff.

Martinez's Ajax took on the Norwegian's Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League group stages last season, beating them 4-0 and 3-1.

The only goal Dortmund managed to score was from the penalty spot, which was taken by Marco Reus, with Haaland missing the game due to an injury.

The Norwegian striker played in the 4-0 thrashing, however, but failed to get past Martinez, who starred in the Eredivise side's defence.

The Argentine defender made four tackles and four interceptions that night, preventing Haaland from scoring, despite the nine-inch height difference.

talkSPORT's Trevor Sinclair is sceptical, however, and worries for the soon-to-be Red Devils man when the pair meet in the Manchester derby later this season.

"Ten Hag obviously rates the players he's going back to Ajax to get, and thinks they're better than what he's got at Manchester United," the ex-Man City star told talkSPORT.

"But I'm just looking back at when Haaland was signed by Man City, and he said the club he'd most like to play against is Man United…

"And I'm looking at Martinez - he's 5ft 9in. Imagine Haaland, who is a 6ft 5in giant, against him in a one-on-one.

"He's that tall and he's a centre-half. I know people say he plays in midfield too, well let's hope for Man United's sake he'll be playing in midfield that day, because I wouldn't like to see that mismatch.

"Martinez is my height. It's like me marking Lukaku with a ball into the box!

"But Ten Hag obviously trusts he has the attributes to deal with it. He's a strong player, he's a good athlete, he reads the game well and the fact he plays in midfield too shows you that he's technically very good."

But a video posted by a Twitter user showcasing Martinez's 'pocketing' of Haaland should put Sinclair's mind at rest.

Besides, some of the greatest centre-backs have been under 6ft, including Carles Puyol (5ft 10in), Bobby Moore (5ft 10in), Fabio Cannavaro (5ft 9in), and Franco Baresi (5ft 9in).

Size isn't everything, Trevor…