Lisandro Martinez’s public evisceration of Manchester United’s shot-callers has sent the club spiralling into more chaos and could very well cost him his future at Old Trafford. But lifting the curtain was a job that simply had to be done.
An extraordinary interview from the Argentina international following the defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League laid bare the level of mistrust and tension that exists between the players and the club’s hierarchy.
Some will have pondered the timing of the bombshell, coming after one of United’s more encouraging performances of the season. But it has been building – one look at Bruno Fernandes’ body language over the last few weeks would suggest discontent has been growing rapidly amongst the leaders in the dressing room, of which Martinez can count himself among.
In the most damning attack of the club since Roy Keane’s infamous MUTV interview 21 years ago, Martinez left no room for interpretation in identifying who is responsible for the club’s latest malaise, pointing the finger squarely at Jason Wilcox.
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‘I expect more (investment) 100 per cent. I expect more from our technical director. I have to be honest,’ he said.
‘As players we have to do more but it is also important when you make a strong squad to be ready for this kind of night. I have to control myself a lot but sometimes is a reflection of the mirror of how is our club at the moment.’
United recruited three midfielders last summer in Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba, while reserve goalkeeper Karl Darlow arrived on a free transfer. It is no secret Santos and Tielemans were not first-choice options. They weren’t even second or even third options.
But Martinez’s comments were a scathing judgement of the business the club didn’t do, rather than the business they did. Benjamin Sesko’s shin injury has been a problem since the spring and the recurrence risk meant failure to sign another striker was criminally negligent. An inevitable injury for Luke Shaw saw Ayden Heaven deployed at left-back against Atletico with the club deciding a position that has been a problem for years could go another year without addressing. It is a mess at every avenue.
Wilcox has plenty to answer for
Martinez’s ire was directed firmly at Wilcox with the Argentine’s views thought to reflect those of a frustrated dressing room. And his assessment of the situation is brutally accurate. £150million spent on a new midfield with only Baleba looking the required standard should be a major concern.
United have long been plagued by poor recruitment but the arrivals of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Senne Lammens in 2025 suggested change was afoot.
But the summer of 2026 was a return to form. United fans also might recall it was Wilcox driving interest in Liam Delap when he was set to leave Ipswich at the end of the 2024-25 season. United dodged a bullet with Chelsea selling the England Under-21 international this summer after just one season that yielded a solitary league goal. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the man who brought Wilcox to the club, once described him as having ‘the best eyes in football’.
Wilcox’s remit stretches across all footballing matters with his role widening following the swift exit of Dan Ashworth, promoted to director of football last year. Last October, he emerged from the shadows and spoke in an in-house interview following a run of three wins on the trot against Sunderland, Liverpool and Brighton when it felt like the tide was turning under Ruben Amorim. The optics were positive and it felt like a good opportunity to speak at length about how the club were raising standards and clicking into gear. Amorim was gone just over two months later.
Amorim’s spell in Manchester was a failure but it wasn’t his tactical inflexibility or stand-off with Kobbie Mainoo that sealed his fate – it was having the temerity to accuse Wilcox of overstepping his mark when it came to matters on the pitch.
The former Manchester City academy coach has been at the heart of almost every major decision at the club since his arrival. He was happy to speak when things looked rosy but at a time when United supporters needed answers the most in the summer, it was left to Michael Carrick to pick up the pieces.
Have United broken promises to the squad?
Make no mistake, United’s performances have been rancid this season. The squad started the campaign woefully unprepared with their running stats painting a bleak picture of where they are physically. For that, Carrick and his staff must take the blame. There can be little excuse for not being able to run on the football pitch and in that particular metric, United have been second best at every turn. But the rot starts from the top.
United finished the 2025-26 season well, securing their return to the Champions League with a comfortable third place finish. With Liverpool and Chelsea rebuilding, there was an opportunity for United to build on last season’s achievements and position themselves perhaps as Arsenal’s nearest title challengers alongside Manchester City.
The players seemed to think that was the case. ‘We’ve had a great few months under the manager,’ Harry Maguire said in May.
‘I feel like the squad is starting to look like something that is a strong squad. But this summer’s going to be big, really, really big. We need more players, we need better quality, we need players to come into the starting eleven. We’ve got to be in the conversation to go and win the big trophies.’
By August, the message was a little more desperate from Luke Shaw. ‘We believe we can win the Premier League. I’m sure there will be a couple of additions to the squad, which is needed to make it stronger,’ he said days before a deadline day that was closed for incoming business.
Bruno Fernandes has stuck by United despite enormous offers from Saudi Arabia, loyal almost to a fault while still convinced this United side can win something of note. That might no longer be the case. His form has been desperately poor this season with an injury also limiting his impact on games but after another summer where the club failed to close the gap on those above them, the frustration is clear.
What’s next for Martinez?
A trip to Elland Road awaits on Sunday where Leeds can twist the knife. Dominic Calvert-Lewin gave Arsenal’s centre-halves huge problems last weekend and the towering centre forward will be eager to torment Martinez in a similar fashion.
Martinez was ragdolled by Dominic Solanke last Saturday and Carrick deciding to leave him out of the team against Leeds on that basis would make perfect sense. But what message does dropping a player for having the gall to speak out send?
In the long-term, it is probably safe to say Martinez may have just scuppered his chances of getting his contract extended beyond this season. If that is to be the case, he is certainly going out with a bang.