Martinez leads nine Man United players who publicly turned on their own club

Lisandro Martinez became the latest Manchester United player to publicly attack his own club after the Red Devils were beaten 2-0 by Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, a result that continued a wretched start to the season under Michael Carrick.

Speaking after the defeat in Madrid, the Argentine defender directed his frustration at the club’s hierarchy, saying he had expected greater investment in the summer transfer window. Martinez specifically singled out technical director Jason Wilcox, and went as far as claiming the current United squad lacks the quality to compete at Champions League level — though he stopped short of criticising Carrick himself.

The outburst lands at a particularly sensitive moment. United have won just one of their opening six Premier League games, were knocked out of the Carabao Cup 3-2 by Brighton, and could only draw 1-1 with ten-man Tottenham at the weekend. The Atletico defeat was compounded by Leny Yoro’s red card in the 74th minute, with the second goal arriving five minutes later to seal the result.

Martinez is far from the first United player to air grievances in public. Jadon Sancho’s social media broadside in September 2023 remains one of the most striking recent examples. After manager Erik ten Hag publicly questioned his training efforts and dropped him for the Arsenal fixture, Sancho took to social media to deny the claims and accuse the club of making him a scapegoat. He refused to apologise, was subsequently loaned to Borussia Dortmund in January 2024, and his United contract expired this summer without resolution.

Before Sancho, Cristiano Ronaldo delivered what may be the most explosive player interview in Premier League history. In November 2022, having grown frustrated with Ten Hag’s management and his reduced role, Ronaldo sat down with Piers Morgan and delivered a sweeping critique of the club’s direction, facilities, and leadership. The interview effectively ended his second spell at Old Trafford.

Those are only two of the nine cases examined, a list that underlines how frequently United’s dressing room tensions have spilled into the open in recent years. Whether Martinez’s comments accelerate his own departure — or simply add to the noise surrounding a club already under significant pressure — remains to be seen.