Schmeichel backs Martinez's United critique but says public outburst crossed a line

Peter Schmeichel has defended the substance of Lisandro Martinez’s public criticism of Manchester United’s hierarchy, telling The Overlap Daily that the Argentina defender’s complaints are “not that far off” — even as he made clear such an outburst would never have been tolerated in his playing days at Old Trafford.

Martinez sparked a storm after United’s 2-0 Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, speaking first to journalist Gabriel Clarke before being interviewed by Schmeichel himself for CBS. In both conversations the defender singled out director of football Jason Wilcox, saying he “expects more” from the club’s leadership and declaring: “I’m not going to close my mouth, we need more ambition.”

By Thursday, Martinez had issued a public apology and United confirmed the matter was closed following a meeting between the 28-year-old, manager Michael Carrick, Wilcox and other senior figures at the club. The episode nonetheless dominated Carrick’s press conference on Friday.

Schmeichel, who won five Premier League titles and the 1999 Champions League at United under Sir Alex Ferguson, was unequivocal about the culture he experienced. “I would not like any team-mate ever to go out and talk like that,” he said. “In the dressing rooms I was in, you were accountable. It just didn’t happen very often that somebody stepped out of line, and of course we had a manager who would not allow you to step out of line. He would react to that straight away.”

Yet the former Denmark international stopped well short of dismissing Martinez’s argument on its merits. “It’s not that I completely disagree with what he says. That’s the other thing,” Schmeichel added. “Some of the things he said are not far off.”

Schmeichel pointed to the rebuilding strategies of United’s rivals as evidence for Martinez’s broader point. “Look at the promising teams: Manchester City a long time ago, Arsenal for the past six years, Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp — what did they do that suddenly changed the dynamics and changed their fortunes? They started at the back. They got in a goalkeeper, back four, a centre midfield player. They built that foundation, made it solid, and then they started to bring the creative players in. They’ve all done it — built from the back. We’ve done the opposite, built from the front.”

The comments add notable weight to Martinez’s intervention, coming from one of the club’s most decorated former players. United, currently managed by Carrick, face further scrutiny over their recruitment strategy as the Champions League campaign continues.