Jamie Carragher finally apologises to 'warrior' Lisandro Martinez after brutal criticism of Manchest

Lisandro Martinez has finally received an apology from Jamie Carragher after he was told he would be too small to play in the Premier League.

The Liverpool legend raised concerns about the centre-back's 5ft 9in height, as he doubted whether he would able to deal with the physicality in England.

But Martinez, who won the World Cup with Argentina in December and the Carabao Cup in February, has proven to be a huge success since his move from Ajax last summer.

He has slotted in seamlessly into the United backline where he has become one of the club's key players.

And his importance in the team has been highlighted by the Red Devils' inconsistent form since he picked a season-ending injury against Sevilla in March.

In Martinez's absence, Erik ten Hag's side have lost three out of nine matches in all competitions.

Sky Sports pundit Carragher has now admitted he got it wrong in his analysis of the player, with Monday Night Football host Dave Jones quizzing him about his 'too small' view.

To which Carragher said: "That's not about Lisandro Martinez, that's about any centre-back.

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"Any centre-back that's coming to the Premier League who is well under six foot, you think he's going to have a problem, but he hasn't.

"And every player has weaknesses, whatever that may be, whether its physically or technically and the best players hide their weaknesses.

"We've all got them, no one's a perfect player and I just looked at that and I thought, 'how can you overcome that in the Premier League?'

"I wasn't the tallest centre-back and I used go into games worried that I'm going to get ‘found out’ and I'm going to get sort of bullied in the air.

"And at times you lose big challenges and goals, and I thought he is probably three or four inches smaller than me.”

He added: “But I think when you're talking about the role of Casemiro and [when] he's not in the Manchester United team, I think it's a massive drop off when Martinez is not in the Manchester United team.

"Defensively, but also his ability on the ball and playing out from the back.

“He is a warrior, he's a leader and when you think of that spine of the team, certainly him and Casemiro, two new signings I think have made a huge difference.

"So apologies Lisandro and all Man United fans, if you can please stop tweeting me about Lisandro Martinez now please!"

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