In the win against Man City, Man United returned to the 4-2-3-1 formation and for the first time in more than 1 year, the "Red Devils" fans no longer saw anyone as a "central defender" like Ruben Amorim once built. Now, the team no longer has to find a central defender to replace someone with a similar role when it needs to change its playing style.
Bruce - Pallister, Stam - Johnsen, Ferdinand - Vidic,... For many years, in the most glorious period of the team, Man United always had outstanding central defender pairs, something they did not see in the Amorim era. Man United's central defender pairs always had one person as the backbone, fiercely competing, the other being more skillful and solving difficult situations with cunning.
Those are also the images of fans seen in the Maguire - Martinez pair when Man United destroyed Man City in the 22nd round of the Premier League last weekend. Maguire with a legal body had many fiery collisions to block the opponent, such as the situation of knocking down Bernardo Silva. Meanwhile, although only 1.75m tall, Martinez had a diving header when the ball reached Erling Haaland in an opportunity that could be the most delicious of the Norwegian striker at the Manchester Derby.
Speaking about Maguire's return and joining Martinez to form a solid central defender pair, Carrick did not hesitate to praise. The 44-year-old coach believes that this pair is creating an unshakable foundation for the defense in particular and the team in general.
There was a time when younger people were used like Ayden Heaven or Leny Yoro under Ruben Amorim. However, in a top nightclub like the Manchester Derby, experienced stars like Maguire - Martinez will be prioritized.
Last weekend's Manchester Derby was the first time Martinez and Maguire paired up in a 4-man defense since September 2024. This is also the first time they have played together since February 2025, the day Martinez suffered a knee ligament injury, causing him to be sidelined for a long time. Maguire also encountered no shortage of bad luck with injury, most recently a thigh problem in November 2025. This 32-year-old center-back may have returned last weekend, but his recovery process was more difficult last month due to another minor injury in the hamstring.
Carrick also admitted that letting Maguire start was a gamble but calculated. Looking closely at the situation of Bryan Mbeumo opening the score, although the assist was Bruno Fernandes, that counter-attack originated from Maguire's effort to clear the ball up in the defense under pressure from Haaland.
As for Martinez, his courage was clearly seen in the quick interview after the match right on the field. At that time, the center-back's forehead was still scratched and bleeding. Like Maguire, Martinez was assigned the task of marking Haaland and he did very well.
Haaland scored 3 goals in 7 encounters with Martinez, but all 3 goals came in the match in October 2022. In the remaining 6 matches, the Norwegian striker was "out of sync" when Man United's defense had Martinez guarding it. In all 7 of those matches, this was Martinez's most deadlocked time for Haaland and he was substituted when the match was only about 10 minutes away.
That is not a small matter for Man City because Haaland has been substituted 34 times in the Premier League, but this defeat at Old Trafford is the first time Pep Guardiola has substituted him in a top match Man City is chasing the score. In other words, it is Pep's surrender to keep the key players playing in the Champions League in the middle of this week.
