Mikel Arteta has revealed what he said to Lisandro Martinez after Arsenal's pre-season friendly against Manchester United over the weekend
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed that he harbours no ill feelings towards Lisandro Martinez despite the Manchester United defender's physical approach to Bukayo Saka on Saturday.
"I was just happy to see him," the Spaniard said when asked about their chat. "I know him personally and I was happy to see him back after the injury.
"That's it. Football is about the sport, it's about the people we know. We wished each other good luck for the season. That's it. It was a really good competitive game for us."
Arteta had tried to sign Martinez last year, keen to play the 25-year-old as a left-back, before the player eventually joined Manchester United instead. This summer, the Arsenal manager was able to prise a different Ajax defender away from the Dutch giants, signing Jurrien Timber in a deal worth an initial £34.2million.
Timber's versatility is a huge plus, capable of operating as a right-back or as a centre-half as well.
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