Michael Carrick insists the commentary from those outside of Manchester United does not represent "the truth" as he stood by Lisandro Martínez following his passionate remarks.
The Argentine criticized the club's technical director, Jason Wilcox, and their summer transfer activity after the defeat to Atlético Madrid on Tuesday. He has since publicly acknowledged that his approach was misguided after discussions with senior figures at the club - including Carrick.
However, his interview came amid United's terrible run of form, and Martínez's explosive comments have prompted several analysts to question the unity within the club and whether the squad harbors private frustrations about how the summer was managed.
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Carrick though maintains that simply because pundits and former players offer their perspectives on the current situation, it doesn't make them accurate.
He said, via The Mirror: "Just because people talk from the outside, that doesn't mean it's the truth. The squad today in training was in a fantastic place - that's the truth."
United, who have suffered their worst start to a season in 40 years, will aim to return to winning ways when they travel to Leeds United on Sunday. They currently sit 13th having secured just one victory from their six Premier League matches so far, and Carrick interrupted a reporter who suggested it was he who required the momentum to shift.
"I don't need results," he quipped. "We all need results. It's not about me; Manchester United is bigger than an individual, so please, I don't go into every day thinking about me. It's not about any individual player; it's about this football club and its history."
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Carrick's most recent setback came in the Spanish capital, yet he commended the team's resilience despite conceding in the opening minute. They stayed in contention and squandered several opportunities to equalize before Atlético struck late - shortly after United's Leny Yoro was sent off - but the performance was a testament to the fighting spirit that still runs through the squad.
"There's a lot of things that can impact the group in a lot of ways," he said. "From the game itself, you talk about the spirit and belief in the group, the way we started that game, it would have been easy for the game to have got away from us. The way we started to shows there's an underlying spirit."