MADRID — Lisandro Martínez stood in front of the cameras at the Metropolitano on Tuesday night and said what plenty of Manchester United supporters have been saying for months. The difference is that he said it as a United player, on the record, minutes after a 2-0 Champions League defeat at Atlético Madrid.
The Argentina international accused the club’s hierarchy of failing to strengthen the squad sufficiently in the summer, singled out technical director Jason Wilcox by name, and suggested United’s problems stretch far beyond the dugout. It was, by any measure, an extraordinary interview — and it instantly became the story of United’s night, overshadowing a defeat that extended their winless run to five games.
What Martínez actually said
Speaking to Amazon Prime after the final whistle, Martínez did not hold back. “I have to control myself a lot, but sometimes it’s a reflection of how our club is at the moment,” he said. “We had a fantastic season last season, and now we expect more from the top, from upstairs, to bring in more players to compete because many teams have brought in many players as well.”
Asked directly whether he had expected more investment in the squad over the summer, his answer was unambiguous: “Yes, 100 per cent. I expect more from our technical director. I have to be honest. And also, as a player, we have to do more.”
He described the club’s summer business as “really poor” and argued that United had built a base last season only to see it squandered. “Last season we did everything, we created the base to create an amazing team,” he said. “It is annoying, disappointing coming here and I am not seeing my team trying to get an amazing result here.”
The 2-0 defeat in Madrid was United’s latest setback in a season that has already gone badly wrong. They remain on two wins in all competitions, and the loss left manager Michael Carrick facing mounting pressure with a trip to Leeds up next on Sunday.
The pointed dig at “other areas”
Perhaps the most striking moment came when Martínez was asked about Carrick’s future. Rather than defend the club’s decision-making, he turned the question on its head.
“He does his best,” Martínez said of his manager. “But every season is different. You can’t stay with what you did last season. The teams know how you play, they know every detail. If you don’t change, next season is a big problem.”
Then came the line that will follow United all week. “You start changing, changing, changing managers. But what about other areas?” He looked upwards, shrugged and said, “I can’t say more,” before adding: “Because also tonight it is easy to say the coach, it is easy to say the players, but also we have to see other areas.”
The gesture needed no translation. Martínez was pointing at the boardroom — and, by name, at Wilcox, the club’s technical director, in a summer window in which United failed to improve their options at left-back and up front despite spending £155m on four major signings after a third-place Premier League finish that returned them to the Champions League for the first time in three years.
Carrick: “Now is the time to be together”
Carrick faced the post-match press conference with Martínez’s outburst already dominating the room. The United manager said he had not seen the interview and declined to be drawn.
“I haven’t seen it. After a game like this you come here to try and get something from the game and you are disappointed and can be emotional,” Carrick said. “I have not seen it so I don’t think it is the right time. We all care and show that in different ways but now is the time to be together and work through.”
Earlier, in his broadcast duties, he had urged perspective. “I think it’s a little bit on the emotions of the game as well, coming here and being disappointed not to get something from the game,” he said. “Straight after a game for me is not the time to talk about that interview because I haven’t seen it, so I can’t really comment on that. But I think it’s important for us to move forward quickly, really. I think there’s a big game on Sunday, and it’s really important that we move forward and we stay focused on that.”
He added that there was “disappointment within the group” and that he was “bitterly disappointed in certain things, and the boys are as well as a group.”
Youri Tielemans, one of United’s three outfield summer signings, refused to comment on Martínez’s remarks when asked. “It is very hard to say after a defeat that there is positives,” he said. “We just have to work hard to keep working and keep trusting in our structure. We have to keep working, keep trusting each other and be together on this.”
Rooney: “He has maybe gone a bit too far”
The reaction was swift and, from some of United’s most familiar voices, harsh. Wayne Rooney, the club’s all-time leading scorer, told Amazon Prime that Martínez had overstepped.
“I think he has maybe gone a bit too far. That’s for the manager, and that should really stay internal,” Rooney said. “The fans want to hear the players speak; they want to hear the players care, so you can clearly see he cares and he wants the team to invest more money, and more players, and to do that he is probably one of the players who is out the door through his performances. His performances haven’t been good enough.”
Rooney did concede part of the argument. “But I think in some ways he is right in terms of the club needs to invest more, at the top end of the pitch and in defence as well,” he said. Yet he felt the timing and the delivery were wrong. “But it looks like that was a bit of an agenda; he’s wanted to say that, because that doesn’t mirror the performance. I thought the performance was better. It’s a bit disrespectful to his team-mates as well. He is disrespecting his team-mates because he’s saying the team isn’t good enough.”
Rooney also argued that only the club captain had the standing to speak that way. “Bruno (Fernandes) is the only one who has any right to come out and say anything like that as captain. And even then it should be behind closed doors if there are issues, which does happen,” he said. “That interview is not going to help the situation the club are in at the minute.”
Carragher: “It’s awful”
Jamie Carragher, working for CBS Sports, went further. “Doesn’t do anybody any good at all, and they will be the story now for the next few days, all about this,” he said. “Now, as supporters, every set of supporters don’t like the suits or the guys upstairs, so United fans will lap this up and think it’s great. I think it’s awful that he’s come out and said that right now. I do.”
Carragher also dismantled Martínez’s framing of last season. “And when he’s 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 weren’t in Europe. They got knocked out of the cup competitions very early,” he said. “The reason they finished third is that Liverpool and Chelsea were that bad as well. Now we’re seeing the real Manchester United this season.”
How the night unfolded in Madrid
The match itself offered little comfort. United began badly, barely improved, and finished worse. Leny Yoro was shown a straight red card around the 75th minute after a VAR review judged a challenge to be a denial of a goalscoring opportunity — the first red of the defender’s career — and Atlético’s substitutes settled the game, with Lookman sliding in the second goal in the 79th minute after David’s shot was saved.
United had chances. Bruno Fernandes stabbed a good opportunity wide in the second half after a fine pass from Tielemans, and Joshua Zirkzee and Matheus Cunha forced saves from Jan Oblak late on. But the finishing that has plagued United all season resurfaced at the worst possible time, and Atlético — as Martínez himself acknowledged — deserved the win.
“Atletico have an amazing team and they deserve to win today,” he said.
What it means for Martínez — and for United
Sky Sports’ Zinny Boswell noted the historical parallels are not encouraging for the defender. Cristiano Ronaldo called out the Glazers in 2022 in his interview with Piers Morgan and left United within a week. Martínez’s compatriot Cristian Romero criticised Tottenham’s hierarchy in January in an Instagram post and was gone by the summer.
Martinez has entered the final year of his contract and, on the evidence of this season, cannot claim to have done enough to earn another. Players who speak out publicly like this, the analysis noted, do not tend to last long.
Yet the substance of his complaint is hard to dispute. United set Carrick up for a difficult season by failing to sign a left-back or a striker over the summer, and a much-hyped midfield rebuild has not delivered. The club has cycled through three managers in recent years — Erik ten Hag, Ruben Amorim and now Carrick — each with an approach bearing little resemblance to the last, while the scrutiny of executives under INEOS, including Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s minority investment, has only intensified.
Martínez’s comments will not make Carrick’s job easier. But for a fanbase that has settled into something close to resignation, the defender’s willingness to say it out loud may be the only part of Tuesday night in Madrid that anyone remembers by the weekend.
FAQ
What did Lisandro Martínez say about Manchester United's hierarchy?
In a post-match interview with Amazon Prime after the 2-0 Champions League defeat at Atlético Madrid on 13 October 2026, Martínez said United needed to “bring in more players to compete”, described the summer transfer business as “really poor”, and said: “I expect more from our technical director” — a reference to Jason Wilcox.
Who is Manchester United's technical director?
Jason Wilcox holds the role of technical director at Manchester United and was the executive Martínez singled out by name in his post-match criticism.
How did Michael Carrick respond to Martínez's comments?
Carrick said he had not seen the interview and that straight after a defeat was not the right time to comment, adding that “now is the time to be together and work through” ahead of a big league game on Sunday.
What was the score between Atlético Madrid and Manchester United?
Atlético Madrid won 2-0. Leny Yoro was sent off around the 75th minute after a VAR review, and substitute Lookman added the second goal in the 79th minute.