Rio Ferdinand has lavished major praise on Lisandro Martinez after Manchester United’s thrilling comeback win against Ipswich on Sunday. The former defender feels the Argentine is currently second to none in world football when it comes to his passing range and calmness in possession, even though he made a late mistake during the entertaining contest at Old Trafford.

Coming from behind against Ipswich

Manchester United registered an impressive 5-2 win over Ipswich at Old Trafford on Sunday after falling behind early. Michael Carrick’s side conceded twice against the newly-promoted team, but a brilliant hat-trick from Bruno Fernandes transformed the match.

An own goal from Jacob Greaves and a neatly-executed lob from Bryan Mbeumo completed the scoring. Looking back on the game on his YouTube channel, as quoted by Metro, Ferdinand preferred to highlight Martinez’s display, with the defender making his first start of the season alongside Harry Maguire in central defence, rather than dwell on United’s defensive mistakes.

Ferdinand makes bold Martinez claim

Martinez made an error in stoppage time that allowed Julio Enciso to win the ball and tee up Chuba Akpom for a late consolation goal. In spite of that mistake, Ferdinand was still keen to praise the £57m signing.

Ferdinand said: "Martinez, by the way, we conceded two goals today, but what I would like to talk about is his ability on the ball. I would go as far as to say Martinez is the best centre-back on the ball in the game right now. I’m trying to think of someone else better who can break the line with passing, who can beat the press when someone comes to him and just move it, take the ball in tight areas; Martinez takes some beating. He was phenomenal on the ball today in terms of his passing, like top tier."

Realistic expectations for the season

Although United have responded well after their opening-weekend defeat to Hull City, Ferdinand has made it clear that the club are not thinking about a title challenge. He added: "We won the league that year! It can happen, but it ain’t going to happen this year: Arsenal are going to win the league. Man United aren’t here to win the league. The people that are running the club and Michael Carrick, as much as they would like to, in their most serious thoughts they are not saying we are title challengers right now. Sensible, realistic heads are thinking about a year of consolidation; a chance to finish in the Champions League [places] is a must, and if we get a trophy on top of that, what a season we’ve had."

Looking ahead to Everton

United will now aim to carry this important momentum into next weekend when they travel to take on Everton. Carrick praised the resilience and mentality shown by his players in recovering from setbacks, qualities they will need throughout the campaign. As United continue their bid for Champions League qualification, staying consistent and bringing returning stars back into the starting XI will be vital in the weeks ahead.