Lisandro Martinez’s Rant Followed Up by Explicit Post From Man Utd Teammate

If Manchester United weren’t already reeling from Lisandro Martínez’s blunt criticism of the club’s transfer business this summer, Amad Diallo didn’t exactly quell the tension by taking to social media to lament what he called a “f---ing disgrace.”

It’s curious that this fallout has come after an improved performance. United created a glut of chances after tumbling behind early to Atlético Madrid and could comfortably have been level if not ahead before Leny Yoro’s harsh second-half red card.

Michael Carrick had taken the bold approach of reshuffling his entire team, sending Bruno Fernandes into an unfamiliar right wing position while starting all three of the club’s midfield summer signings together for the first team. “We feel the game was there for us,” the manager fairly admitted, “so we could and should have got more from it.”

Yet, the green shoots have been bulldozed by Martínez’s scathing attack on United’s recent recruitment. The center back “expected more” than three first-team midfield additions without explicitly naming the other areas in need of reinforcement. One might argue that his area of the pitch ought to fall into that bracket of consideration.

Martínez had plenty to say to whichever broadcaster was willing to hand him a microphone, yet his teammate Amad claimed: “I have no words,” on a Snapchat post. The winger had managed to find some vocabularly before that line, writing: “F---ing disgrace.”

It’s unclear what particular aspect of last night Amad found so disgraceful; United’s 2–0 defeat, the referee’s decision to send off Yoro, Martínez’s comments, Jason Wilcox’s transfer business, Bryan Mbeumo’s finishing.

Whatever the target of Amad’s frustration, the willingness of United’s players to vent in public inspired the ire of the club’s all-time top scorer.

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While Wayne Rooney is naturally inclined to encourage any response from a player which isn’t bland, media-trained drivel, United’s former forward wasn’t impressed with the timing or content of Martínez’s diatribe.

“Something like that will rip that dressing room apart,” Rooney warned during his duty as an Amazon Prime Video pundit. “That interview is not going to help the situation the club are in at the minute. That’s going to bring a greater noise around it; the players are not happy, they’re not settled, they don’t trust in their teammates. That’s not going to help at all.”

Rooney added, “I think he has maybe gone a bit too far. That’s for the manager, and that should really stay internal.”

Martínez’s outburst may have proved that “he cares”—which would seem to be a low bar for praise—and Rooney accepted that there was some justification to his frustrations: “I think in some ways he is right in terms of the club needs to invest more, at the top end of the pitch and in defense as well.”

Man Utd’s 2026 Summer Spending

Stats via Transfermarkt.

Yet, Rooney argued that Martínez is in no position to start making public demands given his recent displays on the pitch. “He is probably one of the players who is out the door through his performance. His performances haven’t been good enough,” the retired striker scoffed.

“Bruno [Fernandes] is the only one who has any right to come out and say anything like that as captain. And even then it should be behind closed doors if there are issues, which does happen.

“It looks like that was a bit of an agenda; he’s wanted to say that, because that doesn’t mirror the performance,” Rooney concluded. “I thought the performance was better. It’s a bit disrespectful to his teammates as well. He is disrespecting his teammates because he’s saying the team isn’t good enough.”