Burnley boss Vincent Kompany sung the praises of Lisandro Martinez before their Carabao Cup defeat at Manchester United on Wednesday.
Despite facing criticism and being questioned, he has excelled at United since joining the club in July, becoming a stalwart figure in Ten Hag's plans. And for Clarets boss Kompany, who spent 11 successful years at Manchester City, Martinez has unique traits that make life difficult for anyone facing him.
"No, of course he's not too small, no way," Kompany told ESPN. "I watched him as I was there when Ajax played Dortmund at the Johan Cruyff Arena [in the Champions League last season].
"I think Ajax won 4-0 that day and then obviously Dortmund, [Erling] Haaland was a player there and if you look, it was both; it was [Jurrien] Timber, I think, and Martinez, both very small. But if you have a high line and you think early, you work early, on crosses, you jump early, that mobility can give you an advantage, believe it or not.
"There are not many players who would like to play against Lisandro Martinez, but you do need to have, you do need to be extremely smart and fast thinking."
