'Keep away from him' - Carragher offers Martinez strange advice for dealing with Haaland in Manchester derby

• Haaland in prolific form for City
• Faces Martinez in Manchester derby
• Defender offered advice for the game

WHAT HAPPENED? The former Liverpool defender turned television pundit has previewed the Manchester derby and shared his thoughts on how Martinez can cope with the immense threat of Haaland. The City striker has scored 12 goals in his last eight matches for club and country and heads into the game in red-hot form.

WHAT THEY SAID: "The best advice Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag can offer Lisandro Martínez about dealing with Erling Haaland is to keep away from him," he wrote in The Telegraph. "Some battles can be won by outmuscling or outplaying an opponent. Other players need out-thinking. Martínez must be at his smartest to get the better of his Manchester City rival this weekend."

Carragher added that Martinez may need to curb his desire to hunt down and tackle Haaland because the striker: "will be waiting for him to dive into challenges knowing one mistake can be fatal."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Martinez has impressed in recent weeks after a tough start to life at Old Trafford but faces his toughest challenge as a Red Devil at the Etihad Stadium. The battle between the two players could prove decisive to the outcome of the derby as Bournemouth are the only team to have stopped Haaland from scoring in the Premier League so far this season.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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DID YOU KNOW? The last time Erling Haaland faced Lisandro Martinez, the defender kept a clean sheet and helped his Ajax team walk away with a 4-0 win over Borussia Dortmund.

WHAT NEXT FOR MARTINEZ ? Martinez and Man Utd travel to City for the derby on Sunday and then head to Cyprus to take on Omonia in the Europa League on Thursday.