Inter Miami have now been told that one player in their squad could have a bigger impact on their success this year than Lionel Messi.
The Herons this weekend kicked off their Leagues Cup journey with a comfortable 2-0 win against Club Puebla, with David Martinez making his debut, as Luis Suarez and Matias Rojas were on the scoresheet for Inter Miami.
With Lionel Messi still out injured, it could be some time before the Inter Miami captain is back to full fitness, with Suarez lifting the lid on the forward’s recovery, having missed a third game in a row for the Florida franchise.
Yet Inter Miami could now have a player who is more important than the reigning Ballon d’Or winner.
New signing David Martinez hailed as Herons’ floor raiser
Speaking on MLS Extratime, pundit Matt Doyle gave his view on new Inter Miami signing Martinez, with the defender joining last week and making his debut on Saturday against Puebla, where the center-back kept a clean sheet.
With Inter Miami’s defense in need of a new addition, Martinez has filled that hole and then some based off early signs, and Doyle now thinks the Paraguay international could raise the Herons’ floor and get them closer to becoming an unstoppable force in MLS.
Doyle said: “He looked fine. There was nothing that jumped off the page in terms of how he played in this one, in part because it’s Puebla, it’s not a particularly difficult test, especially at home. But I think if Messi is the one, like his return raises Miami’s ceiling, then Martinez is the one who raises their floor.
“In order for Miami to be the type of team that is borderline impossible to beat in the way that the Crew have become, they need to be better with playing out of the back, and Martinez represents that. He looked fine on his debut. I’m looking forward to seeing how he develops over the course of this month.”
Martinez will only help get the best out of Messi at Inter Miami
As mentioned by Doyle, playing out of the back was something Inter Miami were lacking from their arsenal despite all their incredible quality in the squad, with Martinez now bringing this to the roster.
And for the likes of Messi, having a defender who can play out of the back as well as bring more quality in the center-back position is something that will help the superstar names in Inter Miami’s squad this year.
Indeed, Martinez has been a shrew signing for the Herons and one that could be massive in the Florida franchise winning silverware this season, and Messi could benefit massively from a defender who knows how to pass out of the back.