Carrick hints at January signings after Martinez outburst forces Man United reckoning

Michael Carrick has opened the door to January transfer activity at Manchester United, saying the club will look to “come out stronger” from the upcoming window after a turbulent week triggered by Lisandro Martinez’s public criticism of the club’s hierarchy.

The United head coach was speaking in the aftermath of a 2-0 defeat to Atlético Madrid — inflicted by goals from Pablo Barrios and Ademola Lookman — that left the club with three losses in their last five matches and intensified scrutiny on Carrick’s tenure.

Martinez had sparked a firestorm in his post-match interview in Madrid, calling out United’s decision-makers for failing to provide sufficient reinforcements to allow the squad to compete across all competitions. The Argentine defender subsequently apologised within 48 hours and was fined by the club, while a clear-the-air meeting with Carrick and senior United figures followed on Thursday.

Carrick addressed the transfer situation directly: “When the next transfer window comes, you want to plan and you want to make the best of it. Whatever that looks like at this stage, we don’t quite know. But without doubt, there’s opportunity because the transfer window is open. So we’ll definitely be looking at that and trying to come out stronger in whatever way that looks like.”

Despite the public nature of Martinez’s outburst, Carrick was insistent that the episode had not damaged the dressing room. “There’s a lot of people saying a lot of things. Pros and ex-pros — that doesn’t mean they know what’s going on here,” he said. “The players totally believe me. Just because people talk on the outside doesn’t make it the truth. I am telling you the truth.”

Carrick described the mood at the club’s training ground as notably positive heading into the weekend. “The squad on Friday was in a fantastic place, better than I’ve seen it for a while, actually,” he said. “As a group we’ve moved on. It’s really not a drama for the group. Licha understood he made a mistake. We have a really good feeling from the club. There is a freshness about the group.”

Martinez is in contention to start Sunday’s Premier League fixture against Leeds United, suggesting Carrick has drawn a line under the controversy and is focused on arresting a run of form that has raised serious questions about United’s direction.