Video: Carrick reacts to Martinez remarks after Atletico defeat
Abdullateef Fowewe
Manchester United head coach, Michael Carrick has refused to fully address explosive comments from defender Lisandro Martinez, who criticised the club’s lack of summer investment following a 2-0 Champions League loss to Atletico Madrid.
Video: Carrick reacts to Martinez remarks after Atletico defeat
Speaking after the match in Madrid, Martinez told Amazon Prime the performance was “really poor” and served as “a mirror for the club at the moment.”
He added, “We had a fantastic season last season and now we expect more from the top. More players to compete because many teams have brought in many players as well.”
Pressed on whether the squad received enough investment, Martinez replied, “Yes, 100 per cent. I expect more from our technical director, I have to be honest.”
He also defended Carrick, stating the manager “does his best” but was not adequately backed, and questioned the tendency to change managers while other areas of the club escaped scrutiny.
Carrick, responding later, said he had not seen the full interview.
“I think it’s a little bit on the emotions of the game as well,” he explained.
“Coming here and being disappointed not to get something from the game. Straight after a game for me isn’t the time to talk about that interview because I haven’t seen it, so I can’t really comment on that.”
He stressed the need to “move forward quickly” and stay focused on the next fixtures, while acknowledging “disappointment within the group.”
United have endured a difficult start to the 2026/27 season, with only two wins from nine games across all competitions after finishing third in the Premier League the previous campaign.
The club spent around £155–163 million in the summer on players including Youri Tielemans, Carlos Baleba and Andrey Santos, but Martinez and others felt the squad still lacked depth in key positions such as left-back and centre-forward.
Pressure has been building on Carrick amid a run of poor results, including the defeat in Madrid that left United with 10 men for part of the match.
The comments from the Argentina international, who is out of contract at the end of the season, have drawn mixed reactions, with some pundits calling them “awful” and “disrespectful” while others see them as a rare public airing of internal frustrations at Old Trafford.
