Manchester United Treble winner Wes Brown has quickly been won over by Lisandro Martinez.
Pressed to nominate a first player of the month for the season, Brown highlighted the former Ajax stopper.
“For me with Varane, I don't expect anything less and that's the honest truth," began Brown. “He is so experienced with everything he has won. The way he is playing, he didn't [need to] make a tackle against Southampton and that just shows [he is] a world-class defender.
“If Varane can stay fit, he will do that more consistently throughout the season. But, for me, the Player of the Month has got to be Martinez.
“He reminds me of a Carlos Tevez at the back - he just doesn't give you any rest, he is always there.
“The striker gets the ball and he thinks he can have a nice day, but then boom, he's having it [laughs]! Some fouls don't matter either and I like it. He's on you, he'll give you [a challenge] and then run off. The striker is [left] wondering what it was for.
“He just gets on with it all day. He's there for 90 minutes, always on his toes, and it's up to you to do something about it. That's why I say Martinez. To come back from those first two games when he got a lot of stick, it takes a lot of character."
Brown also told manutd.com: “With Martinez coming in, in the first two games he got a lot of stick, but with the sort of player he is, he just gets on with it, he grits down and I like him. He doesn't give the strikers any room, he is always in your face, he doesn't give you any room and strikers don't like that. It takes their mind off the game. If it's a foul, he just gets on with it, shoves his arm up and carries on, there's no moaning.
“You can see the confidence is coming back into the team. I always thought the Southampton game would be more difficult than Liverpool, so if we can keep on winning with performances like that - keeping clean sheets - then that is the basis of a team that is lifted."