Manchester United's new attacking powerhouse isn't the player you'd expect

Much has been made of Diallo's efforts in securing those goals, and rightfully so: it was his foul that earned United's penalty in the 88th minute and his cheeky ball flick that scored the winner in the 90th. But while Diallo put in a strong shift against Manchester City, United's true attacking stalwart was lurking just a bit further down the field.

Lisandro Martinez — ex-Ajax man, Erik Ten Hag favorite, and, at just 5-foot-9 tall, one of the shortest top-level defenders out there — has quietly become the engine powering United's goalscoring form. No one has benefitted more from the arrival of United's new coach Ruben Amorim than Martinez has: he's playing more minutes and receiving the ball more than he has in years. 

Amorim's tactical brainwave for Martinez? A hybrid left-back position that gives him the flexibility to move forward alongside Diogo Dalot on one side and Manuel Ugarte on the other. The three spent much of Sunday's derby match pinging the ball between one another, creating an overload of players on the left flank—an overload that drew City's defenders out of position and made it possible for United's attackers (namely Amad Diallo) to run in behind them and score.

It's easy to look at an assist like the one Martinez made to Diallo and consider it an isolated moment of magic, but Martinez's attacking form isn't a one-off: it's a full-on renaissance. 

In his two full seasons at United under Ten Hag, Martinez managed .74 progressive ball carries per game; under Amorim, he's managing 2.33. His progressive pass statistics are similarly impressive: he's jumped from 4.37 forward passes per game under Ten Hag to seven under Amorim. That's good enough to place him in the 95th percentile of all top-level defenders on progressive passes this year.

How does he do it? By seeing more of the ball than you'd think. Martinez made the most touches of any United player in the Manchester derby; he also received more passes (57) than anyone else on the field. 

Once he gets the ball, Martinez rarely wastes it. His pass completion rate under Amorim is above 90%, and he's only been dispossessed by an opponent once all season.

United has scored just 21 goals in the league this season — that's fewer than all but four teams in the Premier League. The stats from Sunday's derby help show why: United only managed to get the ball to Rasmus Højlund, its out-and-out striker and presumed goalscorer, twice. Højlund spent the game isolated and functionally reduced United to a team of 10 players.

Martinez's progressive position on the left wing is designed to fix this. His forward movement will get the ball up the flanks with greater ease. That will allow Martinez, alongside his left-flank teammates Dalot and Diallo, to reliably find Højlund in front of the opposition goal. 

In an ironic turn of events, it's a model that's long been championed by United's crosstown rival. City leveraged Josko Gvardiol in a similar position during its title-winning campaign last season. You can still see Gvardiol's attacking mindset today: he's the top scoring defender in the Premier League this season and was responsible for City's early lead in the derby on Sunday.

Martinez isn't yet perfect in his Gvardiol-esque position. He got one glorious through-ball to Diallo to win Sunday's game for United, but he struggled to make similar passes earlier in the match. 

Coach Amorim isn't worried. He's convinced Martinez will get there in time. 

“We are in the beginning and the focus is don’t lose the ball with sloppy passes, and they [Martinez and United's other defenders] are trying to do that,” Amorim said. “They have to have more confidence — not just to take the ball, but also to put the ball between the lines. They are trying to do everything perfectly, but sometimes you have to take the risk."

Martinez wasn't afraid to take that risk against City, and it paid off in a big way. If he continues down this path, he just might become United's most important attacking player...from his position in defense.

United will return to Premier League action against Bournemouth on Sunday.