Tielemans refuses to back Martinez's public dig at Manchester United board

Youri Tielemans distanced himself from Lisandro Martinez’s public criticism of Manchester United’s board on Tuesday night, offering a blunt ‘no comment’ when the defender’s remarks were put to him after the Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid.

Martinez had spoken in unusually candid terms after the loss, telling interviewers: “I have to control myself a lot. But sometimes it’s a reflection of how our club is at the moment, you know?” The Argentine then singled out technical director Jason Wilcox, saying he had “expected more” investment in the squad over the summer and placing the blame for United’s poor start to the season squarely with the club’s decision-makers.

Asked directly about those comments moments later, Tielemans was brief. “I’ve got no comment on that,” he said. When it was suggested that emotions might be running high in the dressing room, the Belgian midfielder added: “Yeah, maybe. I don’t know.”

Tielemans, 29, was more forthcoming on the performance itself. United conceded inside the opening minute, and he acknowledged how damaging that was. “When you concede after a minute, it’s very hard to get into the game straight away,” he said. “We try and come back into the game, create a few chances that we can’t bury and we can’t score. And unfortunately after that, it was just not for us.”

He also credited Atletico’s quality while defending his side’s effort. “They have the quality, they can play through us at times, which is totally normal in football. But I thought we did well in spells, and our character and energy was good. But yeah, when you lose a game, it’s very hard to explain.”

Despite the internal tension exposed by Martinez’s outburst, Tielemans called for unity. “That’s how we’re going to get through it,” he said. “The only thing that’s going to make us come back into it is to get a few wins. But we have to keep working, to keep trusting each other, and yeah, be together in this.”

The defeat leaves United under mounting pressure in the Champions League, with Martinez’s comments likely to intensify scrutiny on the club’s leadership heading into the coming weeks.