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Jaap Stam defends Lisandro Martinez over claims the 5ft 9in Manchester United defender is 'too small' as the ex-Red Devil hails his 'quality on the ball' and communication - insisting 'big players make mistakes too'

Jaap Stam has rubbished claims Lisandro Martinez is 'too short' to succeed in the Premier League for Manchester United.

Martinez - who joined United from Ajax in a £55million deal during the summer window - is 5ft 9in and has come under fire this season.

Pundits accused the 24-year-old of being 'bullied' by Danny Welbeck (6ft 1in) and Ivan Toney (6ft 2in) during United's opening two games against Brighton and Brentford.

Jaap Stam (above) has denied claims Lisandro Martinez is 'too short' to succeed at United

Jaap Stam (above) has denied claims Lisandro Martinez is 'too short' to succeed at United

They continued to question whether Martinez - who is the smallest centre-back in the Premier League - would be able to deal with the physicality of the English top-flight.