For a couple of months in 2019 Andre Onana, Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez were, theoretically, teammates. They were all registered as Ajax players and would have briefly crossed paths in pre-season, but they never played together.
That’s because Martinez’s arrival for €7m from Defensa y Justica in May 2019 was always designed to offset the departure of De Ligt. He might have only completed his €75m switch to Juventus in July 2019, but by that stage it was only a case of which club he would choose, rather than whether he would leave Amsterdam.
Although both players were central defenders, they weren’t direct replacements. De Ligt had spent his breakout previous season playing on the right side, alongside Daley Blind. As a left-footer, Martinez would be on the other side, although his early months at Ajax were spent in a holding midfield role.
ALSO READ: Why United are making 250 people redundant and what Ratcliffe has told staff
ALSO READ: ‘I wasn’t enjoying it’ – United star must decide his own future amid transfer talk
Where they were similar was in terms of leadership and ball-playing ability, and the fact both would turn a substantial profit for Ajax. Three years after De Ligt had gone to Juventus, Martinez left to join Manchester United.
That was at the beginning of the Ajax-ification of the club and it could be about to shift up another level, with De Ligt close to a switch from Bayern Munich to link-up with his former coach Erik ten Hag. De Ligt could become the fifth player in the United squad to have played for Ajax.
It’s a transfer based on those Dutch connections. In Turin and Munich he has struggled to live up to the hype. Now the hope is a reunion with Ten Hag will see the 24-year-old realise that potential that looked so obvious five years ago.
He will have a familiar face behind him. Andre Onana arrived at Old Trafford via Milan but has played with both central defenders. All three are comfortable with the ball at their feet and that could finally bring about a transformation in style.
Onana and De Ligt have played 111 games together and Onana and Martinez have shared a pitch on 76 occasions. Those familiarities will be vital to improving the patterns of play from the back.
All three have experience under Ten Hag as well, having played more football under the 54-year-old than any other coach. That experience is 70 games for De Ligt, 179 for Martinez and 196 for Onana. A lot of the requirements should be second nature and the understanding between them should be easy to develop.
Ten Hag wanted United to be better at build-up play last season, but Martinez’s injury issues complicated those plans. With his stand-ins struggling to offer the same kind of security on the ball and vision of pass, it became a bit of a muddle and Onana went longer with his distribution than was initially planned.
If a deal for De Ligt is completed, this season could be the chance to change that. Onana has had a year to settle in, Martinez is back fit and playing at the Copa America, while De Ligt knows the coach and knows the players he needs partnerships with.
On paper, there is an attraction to this partnership. Ten Hag will have seen it flickering before his eyes five years ago, just a dream then. Now, on the pitch, he can make it a reality.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
