Lisandro Martinez has criticised Manchester United’s hierarchy for failing to strengthen the squad sufficiently after the club secured Champions League qualification.
United’s 2-0 defeat by Atletico Madrid on Tuesday extended their winless run to five matches. Their last victory came against Azerbaijani champions Sabah FK on 10 September, while their only other win in nine games this season was against newly promoted Ipswich at Old Trafford, where United had to recover from conceding first.
United finished third in the Premier League last season to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in three years. Michael Carrick won 12 of his 17 matches as interim manager after Ruben Amorim was dismissed in January, earning a permanent two-year contract as head coach.
Speaking to Amazon Prime, Martinez said: “We did a fantastic season last season and now we expect more from the top, more players to compete because many teams bring many players as well.
“Atletico have an amazing team and they deserved to win today.
“I expect more – 100%. 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 this kind of night.
“Tonight it is easy to blame the coach, easy to say the players, but also we have to see other areas.”
United spent £155m on three midfielders during the summer but did not add a striker to support Benjamin Sesko or competition for Luke Shaw at left-back. Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe watched the match alongside chief executive Omar Berrada at the Metropolitano Stadium.
Martinez also questioned the club’s regular changes in the dugout. Erik ten Hag was dismissed in October 2024 and Amorim was sacked in January 2026 after both had been backed the previous summer.
“You can’t keep changing, changing, changing the manager,” Martinez said. “What about other areas? I can’t say more.
“Last season we did everything; we created the base to create an amazing team.”
His comments echoed criticism made last season by Argentina team-mate Cristian Romero about the Tottenham board. Romero played for Atletico against United following his summer move to Spain.
Martinez has one year remaining on his United contract and has not agreed an extension.
Rooney says comments could damage dressing room
Former United players Wayne Rooney and Ashley Young said Martinez had gone too far, with Rooney warning: “Something like that will rip that dressing room apart.”
Rooney recalled publicly criticising United in 2010, an incident which prompted a strong response from Sir Alex Ferguson and for which Rooney later apologised.
“It is disrespectful to his team-mates,” Rooney said. “He is saying his team-mates aren’t good enough.
“Bruno [Fernandes] is the only one with any right to say that. Behind closed doors, it happens – but that interview isn’t going to help.
“He has tried to speak on behalf of the players but done it the wrong way. It looks like a player trying to look after himself. It was very premeditated.”
Young said recruitment had to improve but added that players were responsible for their performances. “There’s going to be no change now. That could create issues all week after what was a good performance,” he said.
Alan Shearer said Carrick had been let down, while former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson said he understood Martinez’s argument but questioned the timing.
“I actually quite like it – a player being honest,” Robinson told BBC Radio 5 Live. “Everyone can see they didn’t recruit well enough and they need more players.”
Carrick waits to assess situation
Carrick said he had not seen the interview in full and that the immediate aftermath of the match was not the time to discuss it.
“As a group, I don’t doubt the togetherness and us wanting to win,” he said. “I know results-wise, it’s easy to look and think there’s something deeply wrong, but the players have been great in their willingness.”
Asked whether he would speak to Martinez, Carrick replied: “I need to find out a bit more about it before I can say if and what is going to be done.”
United’s five-game winless run is their first since 2024-25, when it occurred under both Ten Hag and Amorim. Carrick remains under pressure, while Martinez’s comments have increased scrutiny on Wilcox, Ratcliffe and Berrada.
Wilcox’s appointment as football director is being questioned. The club also dismissed sporting director Dan Ashworth in December 2024, five months after his arrival.
United’s latest accounts showed total debt of £1.1bn. Some supporters have criticised the £63.5m spent on land for a proposed 100,000-capacity stadium expected to cost more than £2bn, arguing the money could instead have strengthened Carrick’s squad.
Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, United have qualified for the Champions League in successive seasons only twice. Fans have also criticised Ratcliffe over ticket-price increases and an investigation into alleged ticket touting among season-ticket holders, which supporters viewed as an attempt to replace them with “tourist” fans.
Former United manager Amorim told Wilcox to focus on his own responsibilities during his final news conference, saying too much attention had been given to external “noise”, including comments from former player Gary Neville.
The reaction from supporters was divided. Some praised Martinez for expressing concerns they shared about the club’s ownership, hierarchy and squad. Others argued that his own performances could not be attributed to recruitment and that publicly criticising the club risked damaging team unity.
