Lisandro Martinez just launched a blistering attack on Manchester United’s top brass, and it’s got to have the club in a full-blown crisis after their 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday. The United defender ripped into the hierarchy for not boosting the squad, especially after they locked in Champions League qualification. This isn’t some whisper behind closed doors; Martinez went public, telling Amazon Prime exactly what he thinks, and it’s making waves across the league.
Five Games Without a Win, And The Fans Are Getting Restless
Let’s be real, this public outburst from Martinez didn’t come out of nowhere. United has hit a serious slump, going five games without a single win. Their last victory? That was way back on September 10 against Sabah FK, the champions of Azerbaijan. And get this, their only other win in nine matches this season was against newly promoted Ipswich at Old Trafford, where they actually had to come from behind! You can’t make this stuff up. Last season felt like a fresh start, right? They finished third in the Premier League, securing a Champions League return for the first time in three years. Michael Carrick, who took over as interim coach in January after Ruben Amorim got the boot, rallied the team to win 12 of 17 games, earning himself a permanent two-year deal. So, to be in this position now, it just feels like a massive step backward. Martinez summed it up, saying, “We did a fantastic season last season and now we expect more from the top, more players to compete because many teams bring many players as well.” He didn’t pull any punches either about the Atletico loss: “Atletico have an amazing team and they deserved to win today.” He added, “I expect more [investment]. 100%. I expect more from our technical director [Jason Wilcox].” He even pointed out that while players need to do more, a “strong squad” is crucial for “this kind of night.”
Rooney: Martinez’s Comments Will ‘Rip The Dressing Room Apart’
Martinez’s frustration isn’t exactly an isolated incident; his views have been echoed by outside observers and even some inside Old Trafford. Critics have pointed to the club’s failure to bring in a new striker to support Benjamin Sesko and competition at left-back for Luke Shaw. The club shelled out £155m this summer, but guess what? All that cash went to three midfielders, completely ignoring other key positions. Adding fuel to the fire, minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and chief executive Omar Berrada were both sitting right there in the Metropolitano Stadium on Tuesday, watching the whole thing unfold. This isn’t new territory for them, either. They’ve sacked managers in the past two seasons after backing them the summer before, with Erik ten Hag shown the door in October 2024 and Amorim in January 2026. Martinez isn’t having it, saying, “You can’t keep changing, changing, changing the manager. What about other areas? I can’t say more.” He insisted, “Last season we did everything, we created the base to create an amazing team.”
But here’s where things get really spicy. Former United legends Wayne Rooney and Ashley Young, who were in Madrid for the game, didn’t hold back when discussing Martinez’s comments on Amazon Prime. Both said Martinez went way too far. Rooney was blunt: “Something like that will rip that dressing room apart.” He even reflected on his own public criticism of the club in 2010, calling it a mistake he apologized for, which drew a fierce response from Sir Alex Ferguson. Rooney believes Martinez’s words are “disrespectful to his team-mates” because “he is saying his team-mates aren’t good enough.” He stated that Bruno Fernandes is “the only one with any right to say that.” While this stuff happens “behind closed doors,” Rooney warned, “but that interview isn’t going to help…” He thinks Martinez “has tried to speak on behalf of the players but done it the wrong way,” and that “it looks like a player trying to look after himself. It was very premeditated. It is sad because you need everyone to stick together, you need to be as one.” What a mess! Martinez’s contract with United has only one year left, and there’s no extension agreed, which just adds another layer of drama to this whole situation. This isn’t Martinez’s Argentina defensive partner, Cristian Romero, talking about the Tottenham board last season, although Romero coincidentally played for Atletico against United after his summer move. This is Martinez, right here, right now, and the stakes couldn’t be higher for United.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by BBC Sport.
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