Former Manchester United goalkeeper Rai van der Gouw has likened Lisandro Martinez to his former teammate Roy Keane.

The Dutchman says they both play with the same spirit.

Van der Gouw said: "It just crossed my mind now. [He's] a player like Roy Keane. You like to have him in your team and not against you!"

Van der Gouw was upset to see Martinez criticised, particularly in the wake of the defeat at Brentford.

While appreciating the South American's work for Ajax through gritted teeth, due to his PSV connection, there is an obvious respect for the way the defender goes about his business, as was surely communicated when the pair spoke at Carrington.

“I think I felt a little bit sorry in the beginning when they put the spotlight on him because he was making a few mistakes," explained the 59-year-old, who was at United between 1996 and 2002. "I thought he was really good. I said to him that I hated him when he was in Holland because I was the goalkeeping coach of PSV Eindhoven!

"I said to him: I hated you because you were good and was doing such a good job for Ajax! Now I love to see him play for United and he is the kind of player who will never let you down."

He also told manutd.com: "With his character, he always wants to work, wants to fight and wants to win, and that's typical of United. So I think he's in the right place and at the right club."