Lisandro Martinez came over from Ajax to Manchester United last summer (Photo: Getty)

Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez has named an Arsenal player as one of his toughest opponents since arriving in the Premier League.

Argentina centre-back Martinez has been a revelation at Old Trafford since his £57 million move from Ajax last summer.

It was feared the 25-year-old would be sidelined from the Premier League due to his size and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher expressed doubts about his signing.

But Martinez quickly eased those concerns and formed an impressive partnership with Raphael Varane before heading to Qatar and winning the World Cup with Argentina.

Martinez has continued to impress since his return to Manchester United. He helped Erik ten Hag’s side get within five points of Premier League leaders Arsenal, reach the EFL Cup final and advance to the Europa League at the expense of Barcelona.

The diminutive defender has held his own this season against some of the best attackers in the world and has enjoyed battles with the likes of Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.

But Martinez called Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus his toughest opponent since arriving in England in an interview with the Daily Telegraph.

Gabriel Jesus impressed at Arsenal before getting injured (Picture: Getty)

Brazil’s Jesus missed Arsenal’s 3-2 win over Manchester United with an injury last month, but was part of the Gunners’ squad, who lost 3-1 at Old Trafford earlier this season.

Jesus, who moved from Manchester City to Arsenal last summer, is still out with a knee injury sustained during the World Cup but is poised to make a comeback.

Martinez, meanwhile, has shown his determination to help United beat Newcastle in Sunday’s EFL Cup final and claim their first trophy since 2017.

“Of course it means a lot to get to the final,” said Martinez. “It’s my first cup final here, it’s not over yet, but we’ll prepare for the game, we’re ready to fight this game and it would be fantastic to get that trophy.

“That’s why we work hard, we try a lot. If you do the right things, those end games will come, you know?

“The atmosphere here is great, everyone is positive, we also have a lot of motivation. We are hungry, we want to win and that is the mentality of the team.

“The motivation is really high, you know? This club demands to win trophies, so the minimum is to win every final.

‘We are looking forward to [to it] Certainly. As I said, every game is very important and we need that support from our fans.”

As Martinez and Manchester United prepare for Sunday’s EFL Cup final at Wembley, Premier League leaders Arsenal return to action against Leicester City on Saturday.