Timely return of fan favourite underlines United’s connection with international powerhouse

Manchester United welcomed back the incredibly popular Lisandro Martinez to the pitch yesterday. The combative defender has spent the last ten months on the sidelines through injury but helped his side see out a vital 2-1 win yesterday at Selhurst Park. Martinez is just one of the Argentinian players to represent United over the years and here is a comprehensive list of them all. Every Argentinian to play for Man United PlayerAppearancesGoalsYears Active Alejandro Garnacho144262020-2025 Marcos Rojo12222014-2021 Carlos Tevez99342007-2009 Lisandro Martinez9232022- Gabriel Heinze8342004-2007 Juan-Sebastian Veron82112001-2003 Sergio Romero6102015-2021 Angel Di Maria3242014-2015 Source: transfermarkt.com 1) Alejandro Garnacho Garnacho’s time at Old Trafford is a confusing one. He played a lot of football in a small amount of time since breaking into the first team in late 2022. He was very popular in his first two seasons in the senior team, scoring the crucial opening goal in the FA Cup final win over Manchester City in May 2024. Nonetheless, his attitude and performance levels declined massively in 2024-2025 and he was sold to Chelsea this summer with little complaints from the fanbase. 2)Marcos Rojo It will probably surprise some supporters to see Rojo so far up the list and that he spent so many years in Manchester. The tenacious defender brought typical Argentine grit to defending and formed a terrifying back two with Eric Bailly at times. He was erratic though and found consistency and freedom from injury his biggest obstacles at Old Trafford. 3) Carlos Tevez Despite only spending two years at United, Tevez is most likely the most successful Argentine to represent United. He scored crucial goals as the Red Devils won the league and Champions League in 2008. He also picked up a League and League Cup medal in 2009. He formed a deadly attacking trio with Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo that fans adored. Nonetheless, he tarnished his reputation with fans by leaving in the summer of 2009 to join bitter rivals Manchester City. 4) Lisandro Martinez The aggressive centre back has been one of United’s best buys in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era when fit. Martinez not only excels in defending but also adds a vital passing range that no other United centre back possesses. The defender’s key issues have been his inability to stay fit and United fans will hope this problem is finally behind him once and for all. 5)Gabriel Heinze Heinze lived the typical Argentine experience at Old Trafford. Impressed fans with his tenacity, became a fan favourite serenaded with chants of “Argentina, Argentina”, only to leave with a cloud over his head. The left back was aggressive and an old-fashioned centre back who gave it all for the three years he was at United. He was eventually replaced by Patrice Evra in the starting line up and angered fans by demanding a transfer to arch-rivals Liverpool. He was denied this move and sent to Real Madrid in 2007. 6) Juan-Sebastian Veron La Brujita takes the honours as the first Argentine to represent United. He moved with much fanfare in 2001 after incredible spells in Serie A. The truth is Veron’s game didn’t translate to English football of that era but he did show moments of his sublime quality in the Champions League with some beautiful goal, assists and passes. He would spend only two seasons at Old Trafford before moving to Chelsea. 7) Sergio Romero Alongside Raimond van der Gouw, Romero is certainly one of the best back up keepers in the club’s history. He played a key role supporting David de Gea and was the keeper all throughout the 2017 Europa League win. Romero was an incredibly safe pair of hands and his record of 39 clean sheets speaks for itself. 8) Angel Di Maria The Argentine’s time at Old Trafford lasted only one season but he certainly left an impression. After shining during his first month, he struggled immensely to be even a tenth of the player he was for Real Madrid the season before. He never fit Louis van Gaal’s system or the club as he looked miserable his entire 11 month spell in England. Di Maria will certainly go down as one of the club’s worst-ever signings. Featured image Clive Rose via Getty Images – The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.