Lisandro Martínez did not hold back after Manchester United’s 2-0 Champions League defeat at Atlético Madrid on Tuesday. The Argentina defender publicly challenged the club’s hierarchy, criticizing the lack of investment in the squad and singling out technical director Jason Wilcox by title, if not always by name. “Really poor. I have to control myself a lot,” Martínez said when asked to assess the performance, before turning his frustration toward the boardroom.
Martínez Singles Out Wilcox and Demands More Investment
In interviews with both Amazon Prime Video and CBS Sports after the match, Martínez described the loss as “a reflection, the mirror” of where the club currently stands. “We did a fantastic season last season. And now we expect more from the top, from up, to bring more players to compete, because many teams bring many players as well, and today also Atlético, they have an amazing team and they deserved to win today. I expect more from our technical director,” he said.
That frustration has real numbers behind it. United made just three first-team signings all summer, Youri Tielemans, Carlos Baleba and Andrey Santos, after finishing third in the Premier League last season. “Last season we did everything, we create the base to be an amazing team,” Martínez added. “It’s annoying, disappointing to come here and I’m not seeing my team trying to get an amazing result here.” Wilcox, as technical director, holds primary responsibility for recruitment at Old Trafford.
Defending Carrick While Pointing Higher Up
Martínez was careful to shield his manager. Asked whether Michael Carrick had been sufficiently backed, he said the coach “does his best,” but that every season is different and teams that fail to evolve run into problems. “You can’t keep changing, changing, changing the manager. What about other areas? I can’t say more,” he added. The message was clear: the cycle of blaming the coach ignores deeper issues higher up the club. United are now winless in five games, with their last victory coming against Sabah in September, and Carrick declined to comment directly when asked about the interview, saying he needed to learn more about it first. Teammate Youri Tielemans also declined to address the comments when asked.
Rooney Hits Back at Public Criticism
The comments quickly drew a response from club legend Wayne Rooney, working as a pundit on Amazon Prime. “I think he has maybe gone a bit too far,” Rooney said, suggesting the outburst should have stayed internal and risked disrespecting teammates. While acknowledging fans want to hear players who care, Rooney questioned both the timing and the potential impact on the dressing room during a difficult stretch, and some reporting has suggested the comments could even expose Martínez to disciplinary action from the club.
The episode leaves Manchester United dealing with more than just a poor result. A senior player has openly questioned the people responsible for building the squad, defended his manager, and triggered a high-profile counter from a club icon. How the leadership and Carrick respond in the coming days will shape the next chapter of a turbulent season.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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