Manchester United’s dismal season has gone from bad to worse, with centre back Lisandro Martinez launching a scathing tirade aimed at the club’s board on Wednesday.
The Red Devils have endured their worst domestic start in 40 years, with their latest 2-0 Champions League loss to Atletico Madrid compounding the club’s crisis.
United have now gone winless in their last five games and with pressure mounting on coach Michael Carrick, his fiery centre back delivered an honest assessment of where his club stand.
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“Really poor, really poor. I have to control myself a lot… but sometimes it is a reflection or the mirror of our club at the moment, you know,” he said.
“We had a fantastic season last season and now we expect more from the top. More players to compete because many, many teams bring many players as well.
“And today Atlético has an amazing team and they deserved to win.”
When asked whether this current United squad was of “Champions League quality”, Martinez said: “I expect more quality, from everyone”.
Martinez was then pressed on whether he expected more “investment” from the club in the summer transfer window, putting the focus on director of football Jason Wilcox.
“Yes, 100 per cent. I expect more from our technical director, we have to be honest you know,” he said.
“And also as players we have to do more but it is important when you make a strong squad to be ready for these type of nights.
“In general last season we did everything. We created a base to be an amazing team but this is sometimes.. to prove something it is annoying, disappointed coming here and not seeing my team trying to get an amazing result.”
United signed three midfielders leading into their latest campaign, picking up Andrey Santos from Chelsea, Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa and Carlos Baleba from Brighton.
Collectively, that trio cost the Red Devils a whopping $294 million AUD, while goalkeeper Karl Darlow was the only other addition, joining on a free transfer.
Meanwhile, the likes of Rasmus Holjund, Casemiro, Jadon Sancho, Tyrell Malacia and Andre Onana were shown the door.
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The Argentinian was also quizzed on whether Carrick was to blame for United’s poor performances and form.
“I don’t think so – he does his best but every season is different, you can’t stay with what you did last season,” he added.
“The teams know every detail and if you don’t change it is a big problem. What about other areas – I can’t say more. It is easy to say the coach and players, but you have to see other areas.”
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Carrick explained that he was aware of Martinez’s blow-up, but was yet to watch the vision.
“Well, I haven’t seen the interview, I’ve heard about it as the interview was done, but I think it’s a little bit on the emotions of the game as well,” Carrick said.
“Coming here and being disappointed not to get something from the game. Straight after a game for me isn’t the time to talk about that interview because I haven’t seen it, so I can’t really comment on that.
“I need to find out a bit more about it today before I can say what, if, and what is going to be done. I really can’t comment any further because I haven’t seen it.”
And while the United coach moved to pour cold water on the potential firestorm looming for the Red Devils, the football world erupted.
Club legend Wayne Rooney delivered a reality check for Martinez himself, saying he had “gone too far” and that the centre back would “probably be one of the players out of the door”.
“But in a way he was right,” Rooney explained on Amazon Prime.
“I actually disagree because I think the performance was OK, the performance was better, there were some positive signs.
“It’s a difficult one because I always feel I was outspoken as a player and you want to have your opinion, but I think he’s maybe gone a bit too far and that might be one for the manager.
“That should really stay internal because the fans want to hear the players speak and they want to hear the players care, and you can clearly see he cares and that he wants the club to invest more money in more players.
“I think if they do that he’ll be one of the players who is out the door if I’m being honest.
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“His performances haven’t been good enough. In some ways he is right in that the club do need to invest more in the top end of the pitch and in defence as well but it looks like that was a bit of an agenda that he wanted to say that because the performance was better.”
TalkSport’s Henry Winter echoed Rooney’s opinion, calling for “individual accountability” from a player who has now created a further headache for his under-siege coach.
“Lisandro Martinez makes some good points. Manchester United’s board deserves to be called out for a bizarre transfer strategy,” he wrote on X.
“Buying two midfielders they didn’t need and leaving the defence until next summer when it’s crying out for more pace and strengthening now. Martinez also needs to look at himself. He got beaten by Dominic Solanke for Spurs’ goal at Old Trafford.
“There has to be individual accountability. Players owe it to the fans. Martinez’s outburst also another headache for Michael Carrick to deal with.
“Senior player at odds with club board never a helpful dynamic for a head coach. Especially with Carrick himself under pressure.”
Elsewhere, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher delivered a damning assessment of United’s current position — and explained why they have been unable to spark a squad overhaul.
“It doesn’t do anybody any good at all… every set of supporters don’t like the suits or the guys upstairs, United fans will lap this up and think this is great,” Carragher said on CBS.
“I think this is awful that he’s come out and said that, I do. When he is saying we had a fantastic season last season, they didn’t.
“A manager got sacked last season, they finished third because they had no Cup games, they had no Europe… they only finished third because Liverpool and Chelsea were that bad.
“Now we are seeing the real Manchester United this season. The reason why they didn’t buy players in the summer is because the last four or five years since Martinez has been there, I think they’ve been in the Champions League once.
“For every season you don’t get Champions League money, and every season you spend $200 million in the transfer market, sooner or later is has to stop because the money isn’t there.
“You can’t just keep going with it… they have been awful, they were awful again tonight.”
He also took aim at Martinez for rocking the boat, suggesting his comments are set to spark internal conflicts within the club.
“It’s funny when players say (these things), they never talk about their own positions… he never means centre back,” Carragher explained.
“He’d mean other areas, so the players who came in in the summer, how do you think they feel? This is not me just having a go at a United player.
“Last year, Ruben Amorim went for the people above him last season, and I said he’d be sacked… I think your football club is a family and there’s a lot of stuff going on inside it.
“As a football club and a family… there’d be problems and someone doesn’t like someone, but when you go inside the front door you put a united front on. You do, you protect each other.
“I think your football club is like that… we’re supposed to be as one, it might be a bit of an act… but this will be the talk of the town now.”