Ruben Amorim hails Lisandro Martinez for silencing his critics in win over Newcastle | OneFootball

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim was full of praise for a number of his players after the club’s 1-0 victory against Newcastle, spotlighting Ayden Heaven, Patrick Dorgu and Lisandro Martinez for special mentions.

He especially had good things to say about Martinez, whom he lauded for proving his doubters wrong.

Martinez impresses against Newcastle

Martinez produced a solid performance alongside Heaven as United beat Newcastle on Boxing Day.

He was named in the starting XI and even handed the armband in the absence of Bruno Fernandes. The Argentine didn’t disappoint.

After Dorgu gave United the lead in the 24th minute, the Red Devils had to hold on for the three points and Martinez was crucial to this. He produced several vital blocks and challenges, most notably a crucial second-half intervention that came at a personal cost, as he took a heavy blow to the knee.

Martinez was also unsurprisingly brilliant on the ball, which Amorim pointed out.

Though his height has often been singled out as a defensive liability, Amorim stressed that the defender not only competed effectively against Newcastle’s taller forwards but also exerted clear dominance in those duels.

Amorim’s verdict

Asked about United finishing the game with so many young players on the pitch, Amorim answered, “Yeah. Really pleased, especially in the second half. I think we suffered all together. You can say that we defended well because we didn’t suffer a goal.”

“But they had the chances to score a goal. We need a little bit of luck sometimes and we’ve had so many games this season that we didn’t win when we played better than the opponent. Today I think we did well, especially in the first half. In the second half we suffered but we managed to win.”

Amorim said about Dorgu, “It’s the normal life of a player [patchy form]. Sometimes you are in a good moment, sometimes you struggle. Sometimes it depends on the team or the game.”

“Maybe the game today – with a lot of transitions – is good for his space and for his ability to drive the ball. He played in a position that he can take more risks and that can help a player like him not to feel responsibility all the time, so I think he did well.”

On Heaven, Amorim remarked, “I’m really pleased with Ayden Heaven. You can feel that he is improving every game. He is young but you don’t feel that he has a good game and then he slows the game or his thinking. You can feel that he is improving during the game.”

“He was not playing but he was training really well. You just need to train really well to be ready when the opportunity comes. In this moment, if he continues to play like that, it will be really hard [for another player] to take his place.”

Amorim hailed his players for putting “everything on the line”, including their bodies.

The Portuguese coach remarked that it was “a good feeling” to see the entire squad united and pushing in the same direction, particularly during the more challenging periods when Newcastle applied pressure.

Asked why he took off Casemiro, Amorim replied, “This is the most important game. I felt that I didn’t want to take off [Matheus] Cunha because he was the only guy that could allow us to breathe and I put him as the number 10.

“Jack [Fletcher] was fresh to continue and Manu [Ugarte] was fresher than Casemiro. We took a chance because they [Newcastle] were making a lot of corner runs and I felt they were going to struggle in that moment.”

On Martinez, Amorim told reporters, “I think he is a guy with a lot of character. He is really good on the ball. And with the quality that he has – he played in the World Cup, won the World Cup – he is used to that stress.”

“He showed today that he is a top player. And sometimes people talk about the way you defend the box because he’s a small guy. But today he did really well against the team that you just have tall players.”

United return to action on Tuesday when they take on Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford.

Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images

online polls

The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social