Manchester United suffered a 2-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday night, after which defender Lisandro Martinez delivered a withering public attack on the club's hierarchy, naming technical director Jason Wilcox and pointing upward toward the boardroom as he demanded greater ambition from those running the club.
Alex Baena gave Atletico the lead inside the opening minute after United were caught in possession while pressing, and although Michael Carrick's side created chances to level, Leny Yoro was then sent off, and Ademola Lookman added a second in the 79th minute to seal the result. United have now won just two of their nine matches across all competitions in the 2026/27 season.
Martinez gave his verdict on the UEFA Champions League Today post-match show, and he did not hold back. "We're not playing well as a team," Martinez said. "You can see the disconnection. We can't [string] three or four passes together, and the body language [is bad]. We missed some chances, we are negative, and yeah, when you play against these teams, especially in Champions League, you can't miss opportunities and you can't concede the goal we conceded in the first minutes."
The Argentine went on to criticise the club's summer transfer activity, arguing that United had not assembled a squad capable of competing at the highest level. With Luke Shaw absent, teenage centre-back Ayden Heaven was deployed at left-back — a position United failed to address during the window in which they spent £155m on three midfielders: Carlos Baleba (£70m), Andrey Santos (£50m) and Youri Tielemans (£35m). Martinez also pointed to the absence of a back-up centre-forward, with Benjamin Sesko currently sidelined. He singled out Jason Wilcox by name and said he expected more from those above him at the club.
His remarks drew a sharp response from Wayne Rooney, who was part of Amazon Prime's panel covering the midweek action. "Something like that will rip that dressing room apart," said Rooney. He added that Martinez was being disrespectful to his team-mates, that Bruno Fernandes was the only player with the standing to speak publicly in such terms, and that the interview looked like a player trying to look after himself rather than support the group.
Tielemans, one of the three summer midfield arrivals, declined to engage with the substance of Martinez's comments when asked. Carrick, meanwhile, said he had not seen the interview and was not in a position to respond fully, though he acknowledged that emotions can run high after a difficult result. He also insisted his players had created several clear opportunities and that he did not understand Yoro's red card.
Martinez's contract at United expires at the end of the current season. The club hold an option to extend the deal by one year until June 2028, but no agreement on an extension has yet been reached. His public intervention comes at a particularly sensitive moment — United sit 13th in the Premier League, are winless in five consecutive games, and face a trip to Leeds on Sunday. Their only victories this season have come against Sabah FK and newly promoted Ipswich.
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