Lisandro Martinez told Ajax technical director Gerry Hamstra he is a ‘f***ing nobody’ over frustration regarding his future only days before he sealed a move to Manchester United.
Martinez officially joined United in a deal worth up to £57m in July, quickly linking up again with former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag in Manchester.
The Argentine, whose small stature for a centre-back has drawn a lot of attention, has quickly become a favourite with United fans after putting a disastrous start behind him with top performances in wins over Liverpool and Southampton.
But Ajax weren’t prepared to let him go without a fight. The Dutch giants rejected two United bids and at one stage even raised their asking price for the former Newell’s Old Boys youth player – the Old Trafford club ended up meeting both asking prices for Martinez and ex-Ajax teammate Antony, spending around a combined £140m on the two deals.
Just before Ajax eventually relented, Martinez’s frustration over his determination to join United, rejecting Arsenal in the process, and he hit out at Hamstra.
A report in De Telegraaf claimed the player branded Hamstra a ‘f***ing nobody’ and referenced Marc Overmars, the disgraced former director of football who left under a cloud in February once inappropriate messages came to light.
“We didn’t want to lose Martinez, but with transfer fees like this, everyone understands how it works…Lisandro clearly indicated that he wanted to take the step. It became increasingly clear that a longer stay was not feasible,” Hamstra told Het Parool at the time the deal was agreed.
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