Manchester United new boy Lisandro Martinez was so adamant on getting his move to Old Trafford that he called Ajax’s technical director Gerry Hamstra a ‘f****** nobody’ during a meeting, claims De Telegraaf. This helped him strengthen his chances of joining the Red Devils ahead of the new season, and the move was completed within a few days of this incident.
Lisandro Martinez Lashed Out at Ajax Executive to Push for Manchester United Move
Martinez’s Insult Improved His Chances of Old Trafford Switch
Things got quite heated between the Argentine centre-back and the Dutch club before he got to complete his move to the Manchester side. De Telegraaf journalist Mike Verweij adds that Martinez was growing increasingly frustrated over the fact that Hamstra was not willing to let him go in the summer.
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In a meeting, the centre-back told the Ajax technical director that he was a ‘f****** nobody’, who was only there because their former executive Marc Overmars had to leave after being caught harassing female employees at the club. This insult seems to have worked a treat for the Argentine and a few days after this altercation, he was sold to the Red Devils.
United and Ajax’s Transfer Relationship in the Summer
There have been a lot of talks and meetings to have taken place between the executives of United and the Eredivisie champions ever since Erik ten Hag officially took over the Premier League side. It all started with the Red Devils being interested in signing Ajax defender Jurrien Timber, but they failed to get that done as he refused to force his way out of the club.
#mufc's August Player of the Month nominees:
Tyrell Malacia
Lisandro Martinez
Raphael VaraneWho deserves it? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/DWV37LJlu2
— UtdDistrict (@UtdDistrict) August 30, 2022
But that certainly wasn’t the case with Martinez. He actively pushed the Dutch side to let him reunite with Ten Hag at Old Trafford, with the gaffer labelling him as a ‘warrior’ and being a big fan of his work. United had to end up paying over £56 million for the centre-back, who has since put in Man of the Match performances in the wins over Liverpool and Southampton.
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United weren’t only done with the Argentine centre-back’s arrival. They went back to Ajax and after weeks of discussions, the Red Devils had to relent and pay over £80 million for Brazilian winger Antony. In the end, United paid over £130 million to Ajax in transfer fees for two players, but were able to get Ten Hag two of the biggest transfer targets.
