CHRIS WHEELER: How Martinez went from ‘Evra moment’ at Brentford to the makings of a Man United hero

Manchester United’s victory in Moldova was all wrapped up when Erik ten Hag decided to give Lisandro Martinez a break and send Harry Maguire away for the remaining seconds of the Europa League game against FC Sheriff.

Martinez left the pitch where the 600 traveling United fans were crammed into an upper tier of the Zimbru stadium in Chisinau, chants of ‘Argentina, Argentina’ echoing for their new hero.

It has been quite the turning point for United’s new £55.3million purchase of former club Ajax from Ten Hag since what Gary Neville described as his ‘Patrice Evra moment’ last month.

Erik ten Hag’s team defeated Sheriff 2-0 thanks to goals from Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo

Evra was embarrassed during halftime of his Manchester derby debut in January 2006. He later revealed that his agent apologized for making ‘the biggest mistake’ of bringing him to Old Trafford.

For Martinez, that moment came at halftime after United’s horrific 4-0 defeat to Brentford in his second game.

As if losing Brighton at home on opening day at Old Trafford a week earlier wasn’t bad enough, the 24-year-old and his United team-mate Fred were singled out for the Brentford debacle and forced to play the second half from the sidelines.

Questions had already been raised about the wisdom of bringing a 5ft 9in centre-back from the Netherlands to the Premier League. Ten Hag dismissed that doubt by calling Martinez ‘a warrior’, but that seemed to mean little as United were sampled at Brentford and Martinez couldn’t stop Ben Mee from bundling the third goal.

‘A bit difficult’, is how Martinez describes his Premier League initiation and that is putting it lightly.

Martinez was knocked out on his debut at halftime when Manchester United lost 4-0 to Brentford

Former Red Devils captain Patrice Evra was similarly substituted on his debut against Manchester City in January 2006.

Ten Hag resisted the temptation to take the tenacious Argentine out of the firing line, instead dropping Maguire and bringing in Raphael Varane to play alongside Martinez in central defence.

Like Evra, Martinez’s next game brought redemption with a win over Liverpool at Old Trafford and then three more against Southampton, Leicester and Arsenal, as his partnership with Varane United helped bring the number of goals down to two in four games.

Martinez rested for the Europa League opener against Real Sociedad, came into play at half-time and regretted the deciding penalty when the ball bounced off his thigh and into his hand, making a typical thoroughbred attempt at a ​​block shot from David Silva.

However, he was immediately back in the team in Moldova and the United fans made it clear how they feel about him.

Evra never looked back after a false start to his eight-and-a-half-year career at Old Trafford, and Martinez also has the makings of a United cult hero.

But the ex-Ajax centre-back has since become a warrior for Ten Hag following his £55.3million move

“It’s amazing that they sing ‘Argentina, Argentina’ every game because I love my country and it makes me very emotional,” he said after United’s 2-0 win in Chisinau.

“It makes me very proud, I’m very happy to feel this love from the fans.

“I was honestly surprised because I had never been to England and I really like the passion of the people.

“It’s not just Manchester United, it’s every stadium. It’s great to play like that. You can feel the atmosphere in every stadium and that’s good for me, because I want to play every game at 100 percent.’

His resurgence has since forced England international Harry Maguire onto the Man United bench

Martinez’s game is more than sheer tenacity. He gets the ball out from behind and reads the game well, which also helps to compensate for his smaller physique.

The mention of Martinez’s lack of height is a source of minor irritation to a player confident he can handle the demands of English football.

“The Premier League is the best league in the world because it’s very physical and you play every game against the best players in the world,” he added.

‘You have to prepare, you have to be ready for that. At first I found it a bit difficult, but like every step I’ve had to take in my career, you have to work hard, you have to keep going. Now we’re fine.’