Keane brands United a 'circus' as Martinez rant over hierarchy divides dressing room

Roy Keane has branded Manchester United a “circus” after Lisandro Martinez launched a public attack on the club’s hierarchy, accusing the board and director of football Jason Wilcox of lacking ambition following Tuesday’s 2-0 Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid.

The Argentine centre-back’s extraordinary interview, given in the immediate aftermath of the loss in Spain, questioned United’s summer recruitment and the direction of the club. It came against the backdrop of their worst start to a league season since 1986.

“It is chaotic there from the top to the bottom,” Keane said on The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast. “We go there on match days and I don’t like the feeling around the club. It just seems chaotic. It’s chaos, it’s like a circus.”

Gary Neville went further, arguing that Martinez’s comments amounted to a direct attack on his own team-mates. “When Martinez says they should have brought more players in, he’s directly attacking his team-mates,” Neville said. “If I was Bruno Fernandes and I was Harry Maguire and the other senior players, I’d be absolutely fuming with him — because you’re basically saying that some of us shouldn’t be here.”

While both Keane and Neville shared some of Martinez’s frustrations about the club’s direction, they questioned whether the 28-year-old had the standing to make such remarks publicly, and pointed to his own inconsistent performances as a reason to temper his criticism.

“I don’t see him as a senior player at Man United,” Keane said. “I see him as a centre-half who’s making lots of mistakes.”

Martinez attempted to defuse the situation with a statement posted on Instagram on Wednesday. Reports also emerged that he was challenged over his comments by at least one team-mate on the flight back from Madrid, though his views are said to be shared by some frustrated players within the squad.

Manchester United have not publicly responded to the remarks. The club’s new manager, Michael Carrick — whose appointment Keane also criticised — now faces the task of restoring unity ahead of a difficult run of fixtures.