Man United's Lisandro Martinez must start in central midfield vs. Newcastle after excellent second-half performance at Villa Park

Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez was Bruno Fernandes' replacement off the bench against Aston Villa on Sunday, with the Argentina international introduced in central midfield.

The absences of Casemiro (suspension) and Kobbie Mainoo (injury) had already left Man United short options in the middle of the park, and that situation worsened in the first half of the game with Villa, when Fernandes suffered a muscular issue.

Red Devils head coach Ruben Amorim had the option to introduce Joshua Zirkzee, dropping Mason Mount into a deeper area, but he instead used Martinez in the middle.

The 27-year-old put in an excellent second-half performance and is now being seriously considered for a start in midfield against Newcastle United on Boxing Day.

According to Sofascore, Martinez made one clearance and three ball recoveries during his 45 minutes on the field, while he won his only aerial duel.

Lisandro Martinez in central midfield (45 minutes):

100% aerial duels won
38 total touches
32 passes attempted
29 passes completed
5 passes into the final third
3 ball recoveries
1 shot

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Martinez excelled in Man United's clash with Villa

Martinez's work on the ball was also excellent, boasting a pass success rate of 91%, completing 29 of his 32 passes overall.

In the opposition's half of the field, he completed 18 of his 21 passes, while in his own half, the South American had a 100% record, completing all 11 passes.

Martinez had 38 touches, meanwhile, and his ability to cover the ground was also helpful when Villa broke forward, and Newcastle are also a massive threat on the counter-attack.

The Argentine is yet to start a match since returning from a long-term knee injury at the end of November, featuring off the bench in Man United's last five fixtures.

The 45 minutes that he played against Villa will stand him in good stead ahead of the clash with Newcastle, though, with a position in the starting side probable.

Amorim must start Martinez in midfield vs. Newcastle

Casemiro's return from suspension will boost Man United's midfield options against Newcastle, and it would be easy for Amorim to bring the Brazilian back into the team alongside Manuel Ugarte, but the Red Devils head coach must be brave and keep with Martinez.

Man United need to be solid if they are to stand a chance of overcoming Newcastle with a depleted squad, and using Casemiro and Martinez as a two would give greater licence to Mason Mount and Matheus Cunha to influence proceedings in the final third.

Martinez is not the long-term answer for Man United in the middle of the park, but the Argentine simply has to operate in that area while Fernandes and Mainoo are absent.