Lisandro Martinez hits out at Manchester United hierarchy in fiery rant; Wayne Rooney’s brands make ‘disrespectful’ comments after UCL loss to Atletico Madrid.

Lisandro Martinez and Wayne Rooney Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez sparked controversy after openly criticizing the club’s hierarchy following the 2-0 Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid, with former United captain Wayne Rooney accusing the Argentine of disrespecting his team-mates.The defender’s post-match interview raised questions about United’s summer recruitment strategy and the club’s readiness to compete at the highest level. Martinez expressed frustration at the lack of further investment in the squad and suggested the club’s decision-makers should have done more after the team secured a return to the Champions League.Speaking to Amazon Prime, Martinez said: “I have to control myself a lot. But sometimes it’s a reflection in the mirror of what our club is at the moment,” Martinez told Amazon Prime. “Last season we had a fantastic one. And now we expect more from the top, from the top, to bring more players into the competition because many teams also bring many players and today Atletico also have an amazing team and today they deserved to win.”“I expect more from our technical director. I’d have to be honest, as players we have to do more, but it’s important when you build a strong squad to be ready for this kind of night.”United, under director of football Jason Wilcox, reportedly invested around $213 million during the summer transfer window, bringing in players including Carlos Baleba, Youri Tielemans and Andrea Santos. Despite this spending, the club suffered a disappointing start to the campaign.Defeat in Madrid extended United’s winless streak across all competitions to five games. The team has only managed one win in the Premier League and is currently 13th in the table.Martinez also reflected on the contrast between last season’s progress and the team’s current struggles, expressing disappointment with the performance in Spain.“We did everything last season; we built the foundation for an amazing team,” Martinez said. “It’s unpleasant, disappointing, to come here and not see my team trying to get an amazing result here, it’s disappointing.Atletico immediately hit the ground running, with Pablo Barrios scoring in the opening minute before Ademola Lookman added a second-half goal to secure victory. The result has brought increased attention to United head coach Michael Carrick as the club attempts to recover from their difficult start.However, Martinez suggested that the focus on managerial change overlooks other issues in the organization.“You start changing, changing, changing the manager. But what about the other areas?” Martinez said. “I can’t say more.

Wayne Rooney questions Martinez’s motives

Rooney strongly disagreed with Martinez’s decision to air his frustrations publicly, arguing that concerns about the squad’s recruitment and quality should be discussed internally rather than through the media.Speaking on Amazon Prime after the game, the former United striker said: “I don’t really agree because I thought it was a good performance.“It’s difficult because I’ve always felt that as a player I’m open and you want to have your opinion, but I think he’s gone too far; that should be up to the manager and that should stay internal because the fans want to hear the players talk and they want to see how they’re looked after.”“He clearly cares and wants the club to invest more money and more players and if they do that I think he will be one of the players out if I am honest with his performances.“His performances were not good enough but I think he is right in some ways because the club needs to invest more in the upper half of the pitch and also in defence.“I think it looks like it was a bit of a program from him because it doesn’t reflect the performance. I thought the performance was better.”Although Rooney acknowledged that United needed improvement in key areas, he questioned why Martinez had chosen this moment to make his concerns public.“I think Martinez was very thoughtful. Why is he doing an interview after this fight? He stood up, I very rarely hear him speak.”“It seemed a bit premeditated and something he talked about with his team to get there. It’s sad because when you need everyone to stick together as players, you can’t tell what’s going on above you.”“So you need the players, the manager, the coaching staff to stick together when you’re having a tough time; otherwise something like that will tear the dressing room apart.“I think it’s a little disrespectful to his teammates as well because he’s disrespecting his teammates, saying they’re not good enough. So he’s saying his teammates aren’t good enough, so it’s disrespectful.”Rooney also suggested captain Bruno Fernandes would be better placed to raise concerns on behalf of the team, while insisting any issues should be dealt with privately.“I think Bruno is probably the only one who has the right to come out and say something like that, to be honest as a captain. And even then it should be behind closed doors if there are problems, which they do.”“The players are talking to the manager, the manager is talking to the board, but that conversation is not going to help the situation the club is in at the moment.“Now it’s just going to bring more noise around it, the players are unhappy, they’re restless, they don’t trust their own team-mates, it’s not going to help at all.”

Rooney draws on his own experience

Rooney went further when discussing whether Martinez was trying to reflect the frustrations of Manchester United supporters. While expressing his appreciation for the defender’s ability, he pointed to his injury and asked if he had done enough to speak for the team.“To be honest, I don’t think he’s really connected with the fans since he’s been here because he’s been injured a lot.“I like him actually, I think he’s a good player but he’s been injured so for the money Man United are paying for him he hasn’t really returned the favour.“From that point of view, it’s not that I’m being disrespectful, I just think he’s had a lot of injuries and hasn’t played that much.“So I think he’s trying to speak for the players if you like, but I think he’s gone about it the wrong way, as I said earlier, I think it should be from the captain if that’s the case.“For me it’s disrespectful to his team-mates. I had a similar situation when I went in and asked Alex Ferguson what players we were bringing in and two days later I apologized.“So I can speak from experience about what he just did, I think it’s very disrespectful, there are also a lot of young players in the dressing room who need some guidance from the experienced players.Drawing on his own playing career, Rooney argued that experienced footballers have a responsibility to guide younger team-mates, especially in difficult times. He also hinted that the club’s board may have to respond to Martinez’s comments.“The board need to look at it and probably take some action on it because it’s just disrespectful to the whole football club.“Yes, there are problems, everyone wants more players and better players, but these are the players you have. As a player, you have to get on with it.”“You’ve got to go and show why you’re a World Cup winner, as I said before. So I think the board either have to come out and talk about it, or maybe he’s done it to flush them out and make them talk to the fans, but I just think it’s a bad time and it’s not going to help anybody.”

Ashley Young backs Rooney’s assessment

Former Manchester United player Ashley Young also questioned Martinez’s timing, agreeing that the club’s recruitment process needs improvement, but stressed that players must take responsibility for their performances.Young acknowledged that United could have strengthened other areas of the squad over the summer, particularly in attack and defence. However, he argued that rebuilding the team cannot happen all at once.“Obviously there’s a lot that the players are talking about. We talked before the game about the club needing to invest more, but when they invested in midfield, but what does he want?”“Go and buy a whole new team? They’re not going to do that. They need to start in other positions. They could have bought up front or in defense, but they didn’t. He just walked off the field, emotions are high, we know that.”“But we know the recruiting has to work, it has to be better, but they have to take the time to do it. The players have to take it upon themselves, ‘we are the players who are on this team, we are the players who are on this team and they go on the field.’“They’re the ones who have to go produce and show what it’s all about. There’s no change going on now until January.”With the January transfer window still a long way off, United face increasing pressure to improve their results with their existing squad.Martinez’s criticism has highlighted concerns about recruitment and the direction of the club, but Rooney and Young believe airing such frustration publicly risks creating further divisions in the dressing room at a time when unity is crucial.