“They played really solid and that was good to see” – Erik ten Hag hails ‘good combination’ between Manchester United duo after Rayo Vallecano friendly

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has praised Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane's 'combination' after the club's match against Rayo Vallecano.

The duo started a game together in central defense for the first time during the Red Devils' clash with the Spanish outfit. Varane completed the match while Martinez was substituted in the 61st minute, with Eric Bailly taking his place.

While the duo couldn't keep a cleansheet, with Vallecano scoring in the 57th minute, Ten Hag sounded pleased with the way they operated together. The Dutch tactician told MUTV (as quoted by Manchester Evening News):

"I think it was a really good combination with Rapha and I think they played really solid and that was good to see."

He continued:

"The question is how do you integrate him, but I think he will integrate quite well into the team."

The match notably ended 1-1 with Alvaro Rivera canceling out Amad Diallo's 48th-minute opener for the Red Devils.

This was Martinez's second match in a Manchester United shirt after he made his debut during a behind-closed-doors friendly against AFC Wrexham.

Varane, meanwhile, started the Red Devils' win against Liverpool in the first match of their tour of Thailand and Australia. However, he missed all of their subsequent fixtures due to injury before returning to the fold against Vallecano.

It remains to be seen if either Martinez or Varane will start the club's first official match of the season. United will kickstart their 2022-23 campaign with their Premier League opener against Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford on August 6.

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Manchester United head into new season after a promising preseason

Manchester United will largely be pleased with their preparations this summer.

The Red Devils contested seven matches and won four, while losing once and drawing twice. They scored a commendable 18 goals and conceded seven times. Despite a couple of shaky results, Manchester United have plenty to be optimistic about heading into their first official match of the new season.

The attacking trio of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho played with fluency and fantastic chemistry for much of the preseason. Martinez's arrival will undoubtedly bolster the backline while David de Gea was also seen commanding his box a little more than he has done in recent seasons.

Additionally, the match against Vallecano also saw Cristiano Ronaldo return to the fold. The Portuguese captain played the first 45 minutes of the contest before being substituted for eventual goalscorer Diallo.