Lisandro Martínez questions Man Utd recruitment after Atlético defeat

Lisandro Martínez said he expected Manchester United to bring in more players over the summer, calling out the club’s hierarchy after their 2-0 Champions League defeat at Atlético Madrid.

Speaking to Amazon Prime after the match, the defender said United needed a stronger squad to compete, pointing out that other teams had added players. Asked if he had expected more investment, Martínez replied: “Yes, 100 per cent.” He specifically said he expected more from technical director Jason Wilcox, while also accepting that the players needed to do more themselves.

Martínez argued that building a strong squad mattered on nights like the one in Madrid. He also defended manager Michael Carrick, saying: “He does his best.” But he questioned the focus on changing managers, asking why “other areas” were not receiving the same attention. Martínez said opponents learn how a team plays and that United needed to change.

The defeat extended United’s winless run to five games and increased pressure on Carrick. Speaking after the match, Carrick said he had not watched Martínez’s interview and could not comment on it immediately. He described the defender’s remarks as coming in the emotion of a disappointing result and urged the squad to move forward quickly.

Youri Tielemans, one of United’s three outfield summer signings, also declined to comment on Martínez’s comments. Former United striker Wayne Rooney said Martínez had “maybe gone a bit too far”, arguing that concerns of this kind should stay internal. Rooney agreed that United needed investment in attack and defence, but said the defender’s remarks were disrespectful to his team-mates.

Martínez’s criticism has put United’s recruitment and leadership under renewed scrutiny at a difficult point in the season. The immediate challenge for Carrick is to end the five-game winless run, while the wider question raised by his defender is whether the club has done enough to build a squad capable of competing.