United View With Ben McCarthy: Lisandro Martinez Returns As A World Champion

Manchester United had allegiances with both Argentina and France in the World Cup final.

Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane have formed a formidable partnership at the back for United, but they found themselves rivals in the biggest match in football.

The match was pure box office, certainly one of the greatest World Cup finals many have ever seen. Argentina looked as though they were cruising at 2-0 before France came back with two quick goals to send the match into extra time.

Neither side looked as though they were settling for penalties, with both scoring in extra time. After 120 minutes the score was 3-3 and the game went to penalties where Argentina came out on top to win their third World Cup.

Lisandro Martinez has only been at United for less than half a year, but he's already joined an exclusive list of players to have won the World Cup whilst playing for Manchester United. He featured in five out of seven for Argentina, whilst not being a consistent starter, Martinez came up with some big moments for his country. Most notable was his block against Australia to prevent a certain equaliser.

He and the rest of his teammates are currently partying back in Argentina. Hopefully, he doesn’t celebrate too much though, as the Premier League will be resuming shortly.

If there’s any consolation for Raphael Varane it’s that he at least has a World Cup winners medal at home, although I’m sure that two are nicer than one. He can be proud of what he and his side achieved, not giving in a pushing until the very last. 

There was a video circulating online of Varane giving a halftime team talk when the side was 2-0 down. I’d recommend finding it as it’s a great insight into the character of Varane. Someone who’s won so much but is always striving for more. Again, with wishful thinking, he can return to Old Trafford soon and help the team push to the very end.

So, as we look back at the World Cup, it’s reasonable to suggest that it's been a success for Manchester United’s players on international duty. The vast majority received regular game time and performed well. And with no significant injuries to speak of which is a huge bonus.

But the World Cup is over now and it's back to Manchester United. The reds return to action in the Carabao Cup against Burnley then they face Nottingham Forest on the 27^th of December. Now it’s time to see whether fatigue will be a factor after an international tournament.

It’s been so long since United last played there’s a worry in my mind that perhaps the momentum they gathered before the break may need to be rebuilt. However, those returning have just been playing at the World Cup and possibly they’ll still be riding high on the emotions they experienced.

Nevertheless, it feels good to have Manchester United back. Ten Hag’s side went out on a high with their last-minute winner against Fulham and no doubt they’ll be desperate to pick up where they left off.