Schmeichel rebukes Martinez over public criticism but shares United recruitment concern

Peter Schmeichel has criticised Lisandro Martinez for taking his frustration with Manchester United’s hierarchy into public, while agreeing with the defender’s concern that the club has built its squad in the wrong order.

Speaking on The Overlap Daily, the former United goalkeeper said he would not accept a team-mate airing grievances outside the club. “I would not like any team-mate ever to go out and talk like that,” Schmeichel said. “I absolutely wouldn’t like that.”

Martinez had questioned technical director Jason Wilcox and the wider United board after the club’s 2-0 Champions League defeat away to Atletico Madrid. Speaking to Amazon Prime, he said: “I expect more from our technical director,” and criticised United for not strengthening sufficiently in the summer. He then spoke with Schmeichel for CBS Sports.

According to The Peoples Person, Martinez later held talks with club officials and apologised for the outburst. The outlet reports that his statement did not directly apologise to Wilcox or withdraw his view on recruitment. Schmeichel’s objection was to the way Martinez delivered his criticism, rather than a rejection of the argument itself.

Drawing on his time at United under Sir Alex Ferguson, Schmeichel said players were held accountable in the dressing room and that Ferguson would not allow them to step out of line. But he also said United had “built from the front” while pointing to Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool as teams that had built from the back.

That distinction leaves two separate issues for United: Martinez has apologised over his public outburst, but the disagreement about squad-building has not been retracted, according to The Peoples Person. Schmeichel’s comments put the focus on both the way players challenge club decisions and the recruitment concern behind Martinez’s remarks.

There was also an unusual backdrop to the interview. The Daily Mail reported that Schmeichel had not expected to interview Martinez and was presented with the defender moments after his earlier comments. Martinez joined United from Ajax in 2022, following Erik ten Hag to Old Trafford. He was also part of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad.

Schmeichel played for United from 1991 to 1999, winning five Premier League titles and the Treble in his final season. He captained the team in the closing stages of the 1999 Champions League final. His response combines the perspective of a former United dressing-room leader with agreement that the club’s recruitment approach is open to criticism.