Nicky Butt brands Lisandro Martinez a 'bluffer' and calls for United to sell him

Nicky Butt has called for Manchester United to sell Lisandro Martinez, branding the Argentine defender a ‘bluffer’ following his red card in the 2-0 Premier League defeat at Chelsea on Saturday — a result that left United winless in nine consecutive games across all competitions.

Martinez was dismissed for an elbow after conceding a penalty at Stamford Bridge, the latest low point in a turbulent run that has seen United concede nine goals in their last three matches. The defeat deepened the pressure on Michael Carrick’s side, who have lost their last three games by an aggregate score of 9-1.

“That lad’s a bluffer, full stop,” Butt said on the Football Uncensored podcast. “Just a bluffer. The Butcher, his nickname is.”

Butt pointed to Martinez being outmuscled by Dominic Solanke for Tottenham’s equaliser in a 1-1 draw last month as evidence of the defender’s physical limitations, and took aim at the 26-year-old’s public criticism of the club’s transfer activity following United’s Champions League defeat against Atletico Madrid.

“He’s got the audacity to go out onto an interview and slag off the powers that be about buying players when he’s not even playing well himself,” Butt said. “If they were going to go and buy players, he’d be careful because he’s the first one they’d replace. Performance-wise, he’s been lacking so much.”

The former United and England midfielder also criticised Martinez for what he described as a lack of honesty in his effort levels, contrasting the defender’s approach with his own playing standards. “He threw it in the other day. He threw it in with that elbow because that was the most obvious thing anyone could do. The reason why he did it is because he’s not strong enough to defend properly.”

Butt also took issue with Martinez’s public response to criticism, after the defender reportedly challenged former United midfielder Paul Scholes — an 11-time Premier League winner — over comments made about him. “He’s come out and called out a player who’s won 11 Premier Leagues for Man United,” Butt said. “You can’t speak anything about these players because they get all touchy with it.”

Martinez had been dropped from the starting line-up for two games after the club sanctioned him for his post-Atletico comments, before being restored to the XI for the Chelsea fixture. His red card means he now faces a suspension, further complicating United’s defensive options during one of the most difficult stretches of the season.