- Partners of Manchester United players were forced to cancel a group dinner at an Italian restaurant in Hale, Greater Manchester
- The cancellation came after Lisandro Martinez publicly criticised the club's director of football over player recruitment
- A source revealed that players and their partners were told to keep a low profile as the club tried to contain the fallout
The partners of several Manchester United players called off a planned group dinner in Greater Manchester after Argentinian defender Lisandro Martinez publicly criticised the club's director of football over squad recruitment.
The group had reserved an entire floor at Cibo, a restaurant in Hale that is also a known favourite of former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Source: Getty Images
Players had separately booked at the same venue. Both reservations were cancelled at short notice as the club moved to contain the damage from Martinez's remarks.
Night out scrapped under Man United pressure
A source close to the situation said the women had been genuinely looking forward to the occasion before the mood at the club shifted, The Sun reports.
"The girls were looking forward to getting together for a nice meal out and a whole floor of the restaurant had been booked. But they had to cancel it at the last minute after the club closed ranks in the wake of Martinez's comments," the source said.
The source added that all parties were advised to stay out of the public eye.
"Everyone was told to just keep a low profile in the hope it all blows over."
Among those who had planned to attend were Muri Lopez, Martinez's partner and former carnival queen, Harry Maguire's wife Fern Hawkins, Ana Pinho who is married to captain Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford's girlfriend Lucia Loi, and Luke Shaw's long-term partner Anouska Santos.
The source noted the mixed dynamics within the group.
"Some of the girls naturally gravitate towards each other because they are from South America or European countries like Portugal while the English girls also have a close bond. Generally as a group they all get on very well and try and meet up a few times a year."
The reason the gathering was shelved came down to optics.
"This week it was decided being pictured out on the town when the club is in crisis wouldn't be a good look, for players or their partners," the source said.
What Martinez said about Man United
Martinez's comments followed Manchester United's 2-0 Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, after which he said the club's director of football had not done enough to strengthen the squad, Sky Sports reports.
The remarks drew a sharp reaction internally, with the source noting that some partners felt Martinez had implied certain teammates were not up to standard.
Martinez issued an apology two days after making the comments and has been included in the squad for United's Premier League fixture against Leeds United.
Martinez releases statement after outburst
Legit.ng previously reported about Martinez’s follow-up statement after his outburst over Manchester United’s defeat to Atletico Madrid.
His comments reportedly angered both club bosses and teammates, with one player confronting him on the flight home. Will United discipline the defender, whose contract expires at the end of the season?
Source: Legit.ng
Tags:
Hot: