Dubai: Wayne Rooney has criticised Lisandro Martinez for publicly questioning Manchester United’s recruitment, accusing the defender of disrespecting his teammates after their 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.
Martinez delivered a blunt assessment after the loss, defending the coach Michael Carrick and his fellow players while suggesting the club’s problems extended beyond their performances on the pitch. His remarks were seen as an indirect criticism of the club’s hierarchy and its approach to recruitment.
The Argentine’s comments reignited debate over United’s squad-building strategy, with questions continuing over whether the club has invested sufficiently to compete at the highest level.
Rooney, however, felt Martinez had crossed a line by taking the issue into the public domain.
“I think he’s maybe gone a bit too far, and that should have stayed internal,” the former United captain said during Amazon Prime Video’s Champions League broadcast.
Rooney acknowledged that Martinez had a point about the need for investment, particularly in attack and defence. However, he questioned the defender’s own contribution and suggested his comments could backfire.
“He wants the club to invest more money in more players, and to do that he’s probably one of the players who’ll be out the door, if I’m being honest,” Rooney said.
“His performances haven’t been good enough.”
The former England striker added that Martinez’s intervention appeared to have an agenda, despite agreeing that United needed reinforcements.
“He’s disrespecting his teammates… It’s not going to help the situation at the club at the minute,” Rooney said.
Rooney also saw some positives in United’s performance against Atletico, disagreeing with the suggestion that the display offered little encouragement.
The exchange highlights the tension surrounding United as the club faces renewed scrutiny over its results, recruitment and direction. They currently sit at seventh position in the UCL standings following their first loss of European campaign while holding the 13th position in the Premier League.