Lisandro Martinez criticised Manchester United’s board after their 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid
Martinez questioned summer recruitment and technical director Jason Wilcox
Wayne Rooney said Martinez went too far by making his criticism public
Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez has questioned the club's recruitment strategy and called for greater investment in the squad following their 2-0 Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
The result extended United's winless streak to five matches across all competitions, adding to the pressure on head coach Michael Carrick. The Red Devils have also endured their poorest start to a league campaign in four decades.
Speaking to Amazon Prime after the loss in Madrid, Martinez expressed his frustration with the team's display and suggested that the performance reflected wider problems within the club.
“Really poor,” Martinez told Amazon Prime when asked about the team’s performance against Atletico.
“I have to control myself a lot but sometimes is a reflection… [or] mirror of how our club is at the moment.”
The Argentine defender also revealed that he had anticipated a more substantial recruitment drive during the summer transfer window. United returned to Europe's premier club competition after finishing third in the Premier League last season, raising expectations ahead of the new campaign.
“I expect more from our technical director [Jason Wilcox], 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 these kind of nights,” he continued.
Martinez felt United had laid the groundwork for a stronger side last season but failed to build on that progress during the summer.
The 28-year-old also cautioned against making the manager the sole target of criticism, arguing that repeated changes in the dugout would not address the club's underlying issues.
“You can’t keep changing, changing, changing the manager. What about other areas? I can’t say more,” said Martinez.
“Tonight it is easy to say the coach [is to blame], easy to say the players, but also we have to see other areas.”
United minority owner Jim Ratcliffe was present in the Spanish capital to watch the team struggle against Atletico, who reached last season's Champions League semi-finals.
The club invested approximately £140 million ($185 million) in midfielders Carlos Baleba, Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos during the summer. However, the failure to strengthen other areas, particularly left-back and striker, drew criticism from supporters.
Carrick, meanwhile, was unaware of Martinez's remarks when he addressed the media after the match. The United manager suggested the defender's comments might have been influenced by the disappointment of the result.
“I think it’s a little bit on the emotions of the game as well, of coming here and being disappointed not to get something from the game,” said the coach.
Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney was less sympathetic towards Martinez's decision to air his grievances publicly. The former England international argued that such criticism should have been kept within the club.
“I think he’s maybe gone a bit too far, and that should have stayed internal,” Rooney told Amazon Prime.
Rooney acknowledged that Martinez's comments reflected his desire to see United strengthen their squad but warned that speaking out could have consequences for the defender's own future at Old Trafford.
“You can clearly see that he cares and 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.”
