Gary Neville has a problem with Lisandro Martinez’s controversial post-match interview and feels some of his Manchester United teammates will do as well.
The Red Devils centre-back made some explosive comments after the 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night in the Champions League.
Martinez hit out at the club’s hierarchy, specifically taking aim at Director of Football and former Technical Director Jason Wilcox, as he criticised a lack of signings over the summer.
The Argentina international suggested the squad was not good enough to compete for the Premier League and Champions League, feeling the players and manager have been let down by those above them.
While Martinez was having a pop at the club’s decision-makers, Neville feels it was also an attack on his teammates, which is where he has an issue with the comments.
The former United defender expects the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire to have been left seething with their teammates’ words.
‘It’s devastating for the club,’ Neville said on Stick to Football. ‘This is the big problem I have with it. Wayne Rooney made a statement back in 2010 where he said that basically the club weren’t ambitious enough around signing players.
‘To me, that is a direct criticism of his teammates, saying that they’re not good enough because they should be signing more players. So, I’ve got a problem with it from a player’s perspective.
‘To be fair, me and Giggsy [Ryan Giggs] spoke with Wazza the morning after and he apologised to all the players and he apologised publicly because we said, “Why are we not good enough in the dressing room? Do you not think we’re good enough to win the league?”
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‘That is a direct attack on the players that you’re playing with. So, when Martinez says they should have brought more players in, he’s directly attacking his teammates.
‘If I was a player this morning, if I was Bruno Fernandes and I was Harry Maguire and the other senior players, I’d be absolutely fuming with him because he’s basically saying that some of us shouldn’t be here and we should be bringing more players in.’
Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard suggested the opposite, that potentially a group of senior players have discussed the issue and that is why Martinez spoke out.
The specific nature of the defender calling out the ‘Technical Director’ suggested to Gerrard that it was an orchestrated move.
‘That tells me that the senior players are talking about it as a group,’ he said. ‘I just think it doesn’t help Michael [Carrick] on the eve of playing Leeds at the weekend. It’s all negative and tells me they’re not aligned as a club.
‘At the same time, sometimes a player comes and does an interview and it’s robotic and he just straight bats every question, we say they’re not honest enough, they’re boring.
‘I admire the fact he’s tried to be honest and open and he’s actually tried to protect Michael Carrick, in a way, but he’s made a bigger mess.’
Lisandro Martinez’s bombshell comments
On the side’s performance against Atleti, Martinez told Amazon Prime: ‘Really poor. I have to control myself a lot but sometimes it’s the reflection, the mirror of how are club is at the moment.
‘We had a fantastic season last season and now we expect more from the top, from up, to bring more players to compete, because many teams bring many players as well. Today Atletico have an amazing team and deserve to win today.
‘I expect more. I expect more from our technical director, but I have to be honest we as players have to do more, but it’s important that we make a strong squad to be ready for this kind of night.
‘Last season we did everything to create a base to build an amazing base, but this is something to be honest and to prove something. It’s annoying, disappointing, to come here and I’m not seeing my team trying to get an amazing result here, it’s disappointing.’
On whether the manager deserves criticism, Martinez said: ‘I don’t think so. He does his best. But every season is different, you can’t say what you did last season. Teams know how you play, every details, if you don’t change next season, it’s a big problem.’
He added: ‘Changing, changing, changing managers, but what about other areas? I can’t say more.
‘Tonight it’s easy to say the coach, it’s easy to say the players but also we have to say other areas.’
The 28-year-old followed up his comments with a statement on Wednesday night, in which he rowed back slightly on the criticism of others at the club but certainly did not apologise.
Martinez wrote on social media: ‘Following everything that has been said about my comments yesterday, I want to share some thoughts on what I said and how I feel.
‘After the match, I spoke out of anger and frustration at not getting the result we all wanted.
‘Those who know me know how I live football, with passion, commitment and a huge desire to win. And when things don’t go our way, it hurts, especially when representing a club with the history and stature of Manchester United.
‘My words reflect how I feel and how much I want to see this club competing for the biggest honours. Those high standards are part of how I see football and the responsibility that comes with wearing this shirt.
‘When I talk about wanting more, I’m talking about the ambition we must all have as part of this club. To keep growing, to become stronger and to have everything we need to compete at the highest level. These are standards we must all hold ourselves to, starting with me.
‘I know that, first and foremost, it’s us, the players, who have to deliver, and I put myself at the front of that responsibility. We need to demand even more of ourselves and work together to take Manchester United back to the top.
‘I believe in my teammates, our manager and everyone working to help this club move forward. I’m convinced that the way forward is to keep working together, with ambition and commitment.
‘My goal has been the same since day one, to win, to compete at the highest level and to give everything I have for this badge.’
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