Wayne Rooney believes two of Manchester United’s summer recruits in Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba will want answers from Lisandro Martinez after his scathing comments aimed at the club.
Martinez tore into United’s shot-callers in an extraordinary post-match interview following the 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
The Argentina international blasted the club for failing to adequately back Michael Carrick in the summer transfer window after last season’s third place finish, taking aim at the club’s technical director Jason Wilcox.
‘I expect more [investment], 100%. I expect more from our technical director [Jason Wilcox],’ Martinez said.
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‘I have to be honest, 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. Last season we did everything, we created the base to create an amazing team.’
United signed three midfielders this summer in Andrey Santos, Tielemans and Baleba with Karl Darlow also joining as a back-up goalkeeper.
Despite the clear need for another centre forward and a left-back, their transfer window ended quietly with no further additions arriving.
United legend Rooney – who once questioned United’s ambitions himself during a contract stand-off in 2010 – was not overly impressed with Martinez’s comments which he viewed as ‘disrespectful.’
The former captain also believes it should have been current skipper Bruno Fernandes speaking out, fearing those recruited in the transfer window which was so brutally criticised by Martinez, will be unhappy with his comments.
‘If you’re Baleba or Tielemans, you’re going to want to speak to Lisandro as it’s disrespectful to them,’ Rooney told Amazon Prime. ‘Only Bruno [Fernandes] can come out and say that.
‘It looks like a player trying to look after himself. It’s sad because you need players to stick together or something like that can rip the dressing-room apart.’
Tielemans was quizzed on Martinez’s comments on the night, telling Amazon Prime: ‘I’ve got no comment on that.’
Asked if emotions were running high in the dressing room, he added: ‘Yeah, maybe. I don’t know.’