ERLING Haaland has scored in nine of his last 10 competitive games for club and country, a run in which the striker has notched a staggering 15 goals in total. The only game in which he drew a blank, against Bournemouth on 18 August, his team won 4-0 anyway and he registered an assist.

The side next faced with the near-impossible task of stopping Manchester City’s new goal machine is Manchester United in Sunday’s derby at the Etihad. Had he watched United’s first two games of the 2022-23 campaign, the Norwegian would have been salivating at the prospect of further terrorising a defence shredded embarrassingly in defeats to Brighton and Brentford.

But instead Haaland will be taking on a backline that has conceded just two league goals since those back-to-back season-opening losses, and in Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, a central-defensive duo beginning to establish themselves as one of the Premier League’s best.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Stats Leaders in Premier League this season so far:

Most Goals (Man City)
▪️ Erling Haaland (11)

Most Assists (Man City)
▪️ Kevin De Bruyne (6)

Most Clean Sheets (Man City)
▪️ Ederson (4)

So much quality 😍 pic.twitter.com/oXPIqlN6j9

— Stats24 (@_Stats24) September 20, 2022

The nature of the defeats to Brighton and Brentford brought the axe down on United captain Harry Maguire. The England defender spent much of last season struggling for from and the new campaign – and a new centre-back partner in Martinez – brought no change, so manager Erik Ten Hag acted quickly and decisively.

Dutch full-back Tyrell Malacia, a summer signing from Feyenoord, has replaced Luke Shaw on the left side of defence and Martinez and four-time Champions League winner Varane have cemented their status as fixtures of the Old Trafford rear guard.

The improvement was instantaneous. In their four subsequent league outings, United have conceded just two goals – one each against Liverpool and Arsenal – enroute to four straight victories.

Where previously Maguire’s presence was troublesome for his lack of speed and mobility and a proneness to lapses of judgment, Varane and Martinez appear much more assured and in sync.

Varane possess all the experience and calibre that his CV would suggest, while enjoying a run of fitness that has been mercilessly rare in his time thus far with United. He brings calm where the ousted captain increasingly offered only anxiety. He also offers speed in abundance, aerial prowess at 6ft 3 and the strength and athleticism to hold his own in one-on-one duels with the most rapid attackers.

Slotting into the left centre-back position occupied by Maguire in previous seasons, Martinez – a £47m signing from Ajax, taking United’s spending on centre-halves to around £230m since 2016 – provides a different set of attributes that complement Varane’s. Much has been written and discussed about the Argentinian’s lack of size, standing at 5ft 9ins, but Martinez compensates for this with his athleticism and aggression. The way he snaps into challenges and races to attempt blocks dovetails well with Varane’s laidback style.

And Martinez’s passing ability is proving a vital asset in United’s efforts to both build methodically from the back and for launching counter-attacks. The left-footed defender averages 20.5 forward passes per 90 minutes, a higher mark than either Varane or Maguire, and he ranks in the 98^th percentile among centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues over the last year for progressive passes, according to fbref.com.

The balanced partnership Martinez and Varane are cultivating will not make for pleasant viewing for Maguire. The world’s most expensive defender’s only start since being dropped from the line-up after August’s Brentford came against Real Sociedad at Old Trafford in the Europa League, United’s only defeat since being turned over by the Bees.

The former Leicester City man looks bereft of confidence and his presence has come to inspire only nervousness and, from some sections, jeers from fans. International duty might have provided a welcome respite, but Maguire has fared no better for England, clumsily conceding a penalty in a 3-3 Nations League draw with Germany.

Barring a long-term injury to one of the newly established first-choice duo, it’s difficult to picture Maguire regaining his place in Ten Hag’s strongest team.

With the free-scoring Haaland and City next up, the United manager will be more minded than ever to keep faith in the pairing that has helped him turn around a shaky start to his Old Trafford tenure.

There is arguably no greater test of defensive fortitude in world football right now than that presented by Haaland. Sunday’s Manchester derby will serve as the clearest indicator yet of whether or not, thanks to Varane and Martinez, United can call off their expensive search for centre backs.