Barcelona defender was left disappointed by his performance against RCD Mallorca | OneFootball

It has not been the easiest of starts to life as a Barcelona player for summer signing Inigo Martinez.

The 32-year-old centre-half joined the Catalan giants this past summer, arriving for free after his contract with Athletic Club had run out.

However, the Spanish international arrived at the club still feeling the after-effects of the injury he had sustained last season and the subsequent surgery he had to undergo.

As a result, Martinez had to wait until early September to play for the first time in Blaugrana colours when he came on as a substitute against CA Osasuna.

A first start to forget

Following that, Martinez made a brief cameo against Real Betis but went without any minutes against Royal Antwerp and Celta Vigo.

Having went without any involvement in back-to-back games, Martinez was handed his first start as a Barcelona player earlier this week in the game against Mallorca.

But the defender endured a night to forget at Son Moix and as per SPORT was left very disappointed by his performance on his first start.

Martinez started alongside Ronald Araujo in defence, with the pair replacing Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen.

And neither enjoyed a good game, with Martinez, in particular, showing signs of rust in his game, failing to make the most of his chance.

Martinez made way for Kounde in the 78th minute and as soon as he went onto the bench, the 32-year-old showed signs of frustration and disappointment over his performance on the night.

An off night for Martinez vs Mallorca. (Photo by JAIME REINA/AFP via Getty Images)

The same continued in the dressing room and even though some of his teammates tried to cheer him up, the veteran star left ‘stung’ by his display and was aware that he was far from his best.

Changes in defence vs Sevilla

With Martinez not making the most of his opportunity, he will now have to wait for his next chance, which is unlikely to come in the next couple of matches.

With crucial games against Sevilla and FC Porto coming up, Xavi is expected to revert to his best defenders.

Reports suggest that Araujo and Kounde will start against the La Liga club tomorrow and it is likely that the manager could continue with the same combination.

The Barça boss has not found a stable defensive lineup so far this season, having tried seven different backlines. And it will be up to Martinez to convince Xavi that he is deserving of more chances.