Martínez Comes Out With Statement After Criticising Man United Bosses

Manchester United defender Lisandro Martínez said he "spoke out of anger and frustration" in a statement posted on Instagram late on Wednesday. It came a day after he called out the club's board following a 2-0 Champions League defeat at Atlético Madrid.

Martínez did not apologise or walk back his comments. He also did not mention director of football Jason Wilcox, whom he had singled out on Tuesday.

United were behind after about 50 seconds, when Pablo Barrios scored at the Metropolitano. Leny Yoro was sent off in the 74th minute after a VAR review for bringing down Jonathan David as the last man, and Ademola Lookman scored the second five minutes later. It was United's fifth match without a win in all competitions.

Speaking to Amazon Prime Video after the match, Martínez said "I expect more from our technical director," a reference to Wilcox.

Martínez also defended manager Michael Carrick. "You can't keep changing, changing, changing the manager," he said, adding that Carrick was doing his best. He accepted that the players had to do more, but said it was also important to build a squad ready for nights like this.

What the statement says

In the statement, Martínez said his words reflected how much he wants the club to compete for the biggest honours. He described wanting more as "the ambition we must all have as part of this club".

He said everyone at the club must hold themselves to high standards, "starting with me". He added that the players have to deliver first, and that he believes in his teammates, Carrick and everyone working to move the club forward.

The tone is softer than on Tuesday, but the argument has not changed. He still calls for the club to have everything it needs to compete at the highest level, and he does not say the squad was strengthened enough.

The transfer window was the heart of his complaint. United made four senior signings: Carlos Baleba (£65m plus add-ons), Andrey Santos (£48m), Youri Tielemans (£35m) and goalkeeper Karl Darlow on a free transfer, according to TeamTalk. Three of the four are central midfielders.

ESPN put United's total summer spending at about £150m. Sports Mole reported that Luke Shaw is the only senior specialist left-back, and AFP reported that he did not travel to Madrid after a knock in the draw with Tottenham.

The club finished third in the Premier League last season, which sealed a Champions League return. This season they have six points from six league games, their lowest total at that stage since 1986, AFP reported.

How United and others have responded

Reports differ on discipline. Goal, citing The Athletic, said club sources see a substantial fine as unavoidable. Journalist Ben Jacobs reported on Wednesday that no decision had been made. United had not announced any sanction at the time of writing.

TeamTalk reported that the club does not plan to sell Martínez but is unhappy that he went public. The Manchester Evening News reported that Wilcox's position is secure for now.

Jacobs also reported that several players share Martínez's concerns about the window. Neither the club nor the players have confirmed that.

Carrick said he had not seen the comments and so could not judge them, according to dpa. Wayne Rooney, working as a pundit for Amazon, called the comments "disrespectful" and "premeditated" and said the board should look at them.

Former manager Ruben Amorim was sacked in January, the day after a news conference in which he publicly called on Wilcox to do his job. ESPN reported that his relationship with Wilcox had already broken down. Yahoo Sports noted that Martínez is unlikely to face the same outcome.

Carrick under pressure with Leeds next

Before the Atlético match, United had won only one of their previous six games in all competitions, Manchester United will be facing Leeds United this Sunday 18/10/26. Whether Martínez is in the squad will be seen as a sign of how the club intends to handle the matter.

United are currently sitting at 13th position in the Premier League table, while Leeds are seventh on nine points.

Martínez has also faced criticism over his own form. AFP reported that he scored an own goal at Fulham and was outmuscled by Dominic Solanke against Tottenham.

That matters because the squad is largely the same. Sports Illustrated noted that United had the best points haul in the league during Carrick's 17 games last season with close to the same players.

The statement softens the tone of his criticism, but it does not answer the question he raised: whether the squad that finished third needed more help than the club gave it.