Manchester United had concerns about Lisandro Martínez’s form before the start of the current season and after the Argentine’s explosive outburst, he has decided to leave the club.
He attacked Manchester United’s ownership and hierarchy after another miserable performance from the manager and players on Tuesday night.
Read: Atletico Madrid actually beat Manchester United after just 49 seconds
Whether the fans blame the owners for buying these players, or whether they blame the players for performing poorly, the result is the same either way – Manchester United is a mess.
The “Red Devils” can’t buy a win in the Premier League and can’t keep a clean sheet to save their lives. The defence leaks more than a sieve, the midfield can’t run, and the strikers don’t score. Even Senne Lammens – who was named the Premier League’s best signing last year – looks like a bag of nerves.
Michael Carrick is under increasing pressure, but if Martínez had his way, the manager should have had more support in the transfer market.
Furthermore, Martínez believes that people like Jason Wilcox, Omar Berrada and Sir Jim Ratcliffe must bear the blame for making United a laughing stock.
But if previous reporting on Martínez is anything to go by, the end result of this sad saga is that it will be Martínez who will be thrown out of Old Trafford – and not the decision-makers.
The worries from the summer
Manchester United’s management was already considering getting rid of Martínez in the summer.
The Argentine is a weakness at club level, as evidenced by Dominic Solanke’s late equaliser last weekend.
Martínez didn’t try to head the cross away, but instead chose to fight with the much larger striker – who spun the defender around 270 degrees before turning past Lammens.
In addition, Martínez has spent much of his time at United injured, and the report said that if he cannot prove his form this season, the plan is to sell next summer.
Martínez’s current contract expires next summer, with talkSPORT claiming that Man Utd will exercise their one-year option to protect their investment before selling Martínez in 2027.
“Lisandro Martínez faces a battle to save his Manchester United career,” read the headline in the report from August 26.
They added: “Sources have confirmed to talkSPORT that they are ready to take up the extra year of Martínez’s contract, which expires at the end of the season.
“However, there is a feeling in the corridors of power in Carrington that the Argentine has to prove his ability to stay healthy, otherwise he will be sold next summer.
“Since joining United from Ajax four years ago, Martínez – affectionately called ‘The Butcher’ by fans – has missed almost 80 Premier League games due to various injuries. He will also turn 29 in January.”
In the last few hours, The Guardian claimed that Martínez is now “planning to leave” Man Utd in the summer.
TEAMtalk has been told that the player’s outburst will not trigger a quick decision to sell in January.
However, given that Martínez has a questionable injury history, turns 29 next year, and is not at the level required for United to fight for major titles anyway, it seems not only certain that they will part ways next summer – but also that it will be best for everyone involved.
What Lisandro Martínez said about Man Utd
In an interview with Amazon Prime after the 2-0 loss to Atlético Madrid, Martínez said: “We had a fantastic season last year and now we expect more from the top, more players competing, because many teams also bring in a lot of players.
“Atlético have a fantastic team and they deserved to win today.
“I expect more [investment]. 100 percent. I expect more from our technical director [Jason Wilcox].
“I have to be honest – as players we have to do more, but it’s also important when you have a strong squad to be ready for a night like this.
“Tonight it’s easy to [blame] the coach, easy to say the players, but we have to look at other areas as well.”
Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe sat next to United CEO Berrada at the Metropolitano Stadium on Tuesday, and Martínez added, in clear support of Carrick: “You can’t keep changing, changing, changing managers. What about other areas? I can’t say more.
“Last season we did everything, we created the base to create a great team.”
When asked if the problem was that Carrick wasn’t getting enough support, the Argentine added: “I don’t think so. He’s doing his best. Every season is different.
“You can’t stick to what you did last season. Teams know how you play, they know every detail – if you don’t change next season, that’s a big problem.
“Tonight it’s easy to say the coach, easy to say the players, but we also have to see other areas.”
Latest! – Lisandro Martínez is trying to calm the situation.
