Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez expressed strong dissatisfaction with the club’s transfer activity following the team’s 2-0 loss to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on October 13. The defeat extended United’s winless streak to five games across all competitions and marked their poorest start to a Premier League season in four decades.
Speaking after the match in Madrid, Martinez described the team’s performance as “really poor” and suggested it reflected broader issues within the club. He voiced clear frustration over the lack of investment during the summer transfer window, despite United securing a third-place finish last season to qualify for Europe’s premier competition.
“If you create a strong squad, you have to be ready for nights like this. I 100% expect more investment,” Martinez said. He singled out technical director Jason Wilcox, stating that as players, they must improve, but the club also needs to strengthen the squad to compete at the highest level. Martinez argued that last season’s performances laid the groundwork “to create an amazing team,” which he believed had not been sufficiently built upon.
The criticism came amid growing pressure on interim manager Michael Carrick, who has yet to secure a win in five matches. However, Martinez cautioned against rushing to change the coaching staff, emphasizing the importance of addressing “other areas” within the club rather than repeatedly replacing the manager.
United’s summer signings included midfielders Carlos Balestra, Youri Tielemans, and Andrew Santos, with a combined spending reportedly around £140 million. Nonetheless, supporters voiced disappointment over the absence of reinforcements in other key positions, notably left-back and striker.
Jim Ratcliffe, a minority owner of Manchester United, was present at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium for the match but has yet to publicly comment on the team’s struggles.
Following the game, Carrick told reporters he was not aware of Martinez’s remarks and was therefore unable to respond. “I think it’s a little bit on the emotions of the game as well, of coming here and being disappointed not to get something from the game,” Carrick said.
Former United and England striker Wayne Rooney weighed in on the controversy, describing Martinez’s public comments as excessive. Speaking to Amazon Prime, Rooney suggested the criticisms should have remained within the club. “You can clearly see that he cares and he wants the club to invest more money in more players, and to do that he’s probably one of the players who will be out the door if I’m being honest,” Rooney added.