Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez has downplayed his record against Manchester City striker Erling Haaland ahead of the derby, according to The Sun.

Since Haaland scored a hat-trick in the first derby between the two in October 2022, the Norwegian has not scored in the subsequent five derbies in which the Argentine has played.

Manchester United legend Nicky Butt predicted ahead of the Old Trafford derby in January that the 6-foot-5 Haaland would "pick Martinez up and run with him" and "treat him like a child."

Butt's former teammate and fellow podcast host Paul Scholes joked that Haaland would "throw him into the net" after scoring.

Manchester United ultimately won 2-0, and Martinez later invited Butt and Scholes to his home in response to their criticism.

Haaland has scored five goals in his last three games, while Manchester United have conceded six goals in their first three Premier League matches. Martinez acknowledged that the team's defensive inconsistency was "frustrating" but was reluctant to dwell on his record against Haaland.

Martinez said: "That's in the past, it's gone. Now we have to – I have to – prepare for this game because it will be completely different from the last one.

"Winning certainly boosts your confidence. But now we have to be calm, we have to be humble, and first enjoy this victory.

"Then we have to think about that derby, which is very important for us.

"Against Everton, we wanted to keep a clean sheet, but we still conceded, and that's what frustrates us.

"It's really bad because we want to be in that position. If we want to compete, we have to keep clean sheets, because it's very important."

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