Martinez blasts Man Utd hierarchy after Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid

Lisandro Martinez launched a pointed attack on Manchester United’s transfer strategy after the club’s 2-0 Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid, singling out technical director Jason Wilcox in a post-match interview that quickly drew widespread attention. Pablo Barrios had opened the scoring inside the first minute at the Metropolitano, and Ademola Lookman sealed the result in the 79th minute after Leny Yoro was dismissed with a straight red card in the second half.

“I expected more from our technical director,” Martinez said after the final whistle. “I have to be honest, you know? And also, as players, we have to do more, but it’s also important when you make a strong squad to be ready for these kinds of nights.”

Asked which positions he felt needed strengthening, the Argentine defender did not hold back. “In general. I think last season we did everything; we created a base to build an amazing team. But this is something to be honest and to prove something, you know? Yeah, it’s annoying, disappointing, to come here and not see my team trying to get an amazing result here. It’s disappointing.”

New footage circulating on social media appears to show Martinez in a tense exchange with Argentina teammates Cristian Romero and Julian Alvarez on the pitch immediately after the final whistle. The clip seems to capture Martinez confronting Alvarez in frustration before Romero steps in as a peacemaker. The brief exchange ends with a handshake and Romero grinning as he walks away. A number of supporters online have suggested the incident acted as a catalyst for Martinez’s subsequent media comments.

Romero is no stranger to publicly challenging club leadership. During his time at Tottenham in January, he took to social media to criticise individuals he felt only engaged “when things are going well”. Having spent the summer alongside Romero on international duty with Argentina, Martinez may have drawn on that example when choosing to speak out.

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick said he had not yet seen the interview at the time of his post-match comments on Tuesday evening. The club’s formal response to Martinez’s remarks had not been made public at the time of writing. United return to Premier League action on Sunday when they travel to face Leeds United.