Ten Hag eyes £30m Ajax defender who is the anti-Maguire and has Messi link

It's no surprise that the soon-to-be Red Devils coach will be seeking familiar faces from a hugely talented team, and even less of a shock that he would be addressing the defence first.

United have conceded their most ever goals in a Premier League campaign this season under the stewardship of Ralf Rangnick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and it's easy to see why.

Famed for defensive solidity under Sir Alex Ferguson, the defensive third at Old Trafford is now unrecognisable, with calls for captain Harry Maguire to be dropped and four-time Champions League winner Raphael Varane failing to make a difference.

Ten Hag will be expected to improve things with his coaching, but the seventh worst defensive record in England suggests bigger problems, with United potentially finishing the season on a negative goal difference.

The Dutchman's Ajax sides have been characterised by speed both on the ground and in quick thinking, and Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez has epitomised that.

And now the Daily Telegraph claim the centre-back could be the first on the plane over to Manchester, with a £30million move in the offing.

Former teammate and good friend of Ten Hag, Hans Kraay, said: "Some at United will worry about how Erik plays. He likes to play with both full-backs high on the pitch.

"It's the same with his two central defenders at Ajax - Lisandro Martinez and Jurrien Timber. He'll need two central defenders who are good on the ball, but also they need pace. I don't know if Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof have the pace."

Signed from Defensa y Justicia in 2019, Argentina international Martinez overcame a rough patch to be named Ajax's player of the season this year with the 24-year-old coming into his own with startling results.

The antithesis to current United captain Maguire, Martinez is supremely quick and rarely embarrassed one-on-one, with his ball carrying and passing far more classy than clumsy.

"Martinez is a left-footed player who can play several positions in the back," said former Ajax director Marc Overmars. "He is a defender who likes to play football forward."

Martinez boasted a whopping 91.8 per cent pass completion in this season's Champions League showing that along with covering the turf, he can make the ball do his work too.

Ten Hag commented on 5ft 9in centre back when he emerged into the first team saying: "I find Lisandro Martinez an excellent player, he is actually starting material and this is why I talk with him a lot."

Martinez is also adored by Lionel Messi, having shored up a long-term defensive issue for the Argentina national team, allowing them to win the 2021 Copa America.

The young defender also shares some history with maestro Messi, with both players coming through the youth ranks of Argentine club Newell's Old Boys.

Compared to players in UEFA's top five leagues, StatsBomb ranks Martinez in the top one per cent when it comes to passes completed and progressive passes per 90 minutes, showing just how key a signing he could become.

Conducting United's transfer activity this summer will no doubt be a tough task, but securing a player who defines Ten Hag's style and performed better than any of his teammates this season would certainly be a good start.