Lisandro Martinez’s criticism of the Manchester United hierarchy has drawn strong responses from Jamie Carragher and Wayne Rooney, with the former branding the comments “awful” and the latter calling them “disrespectful”.
Martinez launched the attack after United’s 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, a result that extended their winless run to five games. The defender, who is out of contract at the end of the season, said he expected more from “upstairs” and singled out technical director Jason Wilcox for the club’s lack of summer investment.
“I have to control myself a lot, but sometimes it’s a reflection of how our club is at the moment,” Martinez told Amazon Prime. “We had a fantastic season last season, and now we expect more from the top, from upstairs, to bring in more players to compete because many teams have brought in many players as well.”
Asked if he had expected more investment, he said: “Yes, 100 per cent. I expect more from our technical director. I have to be honest. And also, as a player, we have to do more. It’s also important to build a strong squad to be ready for this kind of night.”
Responding to the comments, Carragher told CBS Sports: “I think it’s awful that he’s come out and said that right now. And when he’s saying ‘we had a fantastic season last season’, they didn’t. A manager got sacked last season. Sacked. They finished third because they had no cup games. The reason they finished third is Liverpool and Chelsea were that bad as well.
“And him as well, when he’s talking at the start of this season, I think he’s a good player, he’s a World Cup winner, I get that, he’s had an awful start to the season. Awful. Really poor,” Carragher was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
Rooney, meanwhile, felt Martinez had overstepped the mark and questioned whether his performances warranted such an outburst. “I think he has maybe gone a bit too far. That’s for the manager, and that should really stay internal,” Rooney told Amazon Prime. “It’s a bit disrespectful to his team-mates as well. He is disrespecting his team-mates because he’s saying the team isn’t good enough.”
Rooney added that only captain Bruno Fernandes has the standing to speak on such matters publicly. “That interview is not going to help the situation the club are in at the minute,” he said.
United spent £155m on four major summer signings after finishing third last season, but failed to strengthen at left-back and up front. The defeat in Madrid has piled further pressure on manager Michael Carrick, though Martinez defended him. “He does his best. But every season is different. You can’t stay with what you did last season,” Carrick was quoted as saying by Sky Sports. “You start changing, changing, changing managers. But what about other areas?”