Man Utd legends criticise Martinez’s outburst

Gary Neville has hit out at Lisandro Martinez’s comments after the Atletico Madrid defeat, insisting they amount to a direct criticism of his own team-mates.

Martinez had criticised the club’s leadership and said he expected more investment in the squad this summer before later clarifying that he had spoken out of anger and frustration.

But Neville believes the defender’s initial remarks will have angered senior players inside the dressing room.

“I’ve got a problem with this from a player’s perspective,” Neville said on the Stick To Football podcast.

“That is a direct attack on the players you are playing with.

“So if I were Harry Maguire or Bruno Fernandes, or any other senior player, I would be absolutely fuming with him because you’re basically saying we shouldn’t be here and we should be bringing more players in.”

Roy Keane was also critical of Martinez’s decision to speak publicly, particularly given United’s struggles.

“There will be some fans saying it’s great and some saying you’re letting the team down, especially from a player who hasn’t been at his best, when the team is struggling,” Keane said.

“I think as a reflection of the club, it’s obviously chaos there, like a bit of a circus.

“When you’re going through a difficult spell like United are, the issue I have with certain players saying things is you always have to start with the man in the mirror before you start coming out with all these comments.”