The Red Devils seem to have found their best center-back pairing.

Manchester United fans have called on manager Erik ten Hag to maintain the Raphael Varane-Lisandro Martinez center-back partnership for the foreseeable future following Monday's night's win over Liverpool. The pair delivered a colossal performance to inspire the Red Devils to a 2-1 win over their archnemesis, as they secured their first win of the 2022-2023 Premier League campaign.

Ahead of the final game of Matchday 3, multiple reports from the UK media indicated that United was set to drop Harry Maguire for the meeting with Liverpool. The 29-year-old English defender had proved to be a liability at the back for the Red Devils' in the defeats to Brighton and Brentford and, as a result, Ten Hag was exploring other solutions.

Having been paired together in the training sessions leading to the clash with Liverpool, both Varane and Martinez won over the hearts of the United fans with respective top performances. The former exhibited leadership in a rather young backline which featured Tyrell Malacia and Diogo Dalot in the full-back positions while Martinez gave everything to curb the attacking prowess of the Reds.

Skipper Harry Maguire was an unused substitute and his regular spot in the starting lineup is now said to be under threat. Ahead of Monday's game, Erik ten Hag suggested that the former Leicester City defender's communication and mobility has been suspect so far and that he expects things to improve with the introduction of Varane into the side.

'Varane is a very experienced player, won everything and will bring the communication in the back four,' he said. 'We want mobility and agility in the back four.'

Over the weekend, Maguire was linked with a shock move to Chelsea but nothing concrete as emerged amid the Blues' supposed interest.