Rooney and Carragher slam Martinez over scathing attack on Manchester United hierarchy

Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez has come under heavy fire from pundits Jamie Carragher and Wayne Rooney following his scathing post-match criticism of the club's hierarchy. The Argentine international made no secret of his frustration with United's transfer policy in the wake of their 2-0 Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid.

Speaking after the final whistle, Martinez—whose current contract runs out at the end of the season—singled out technical director Jason Wilcox and claimed he expected far more support from the board. Despite spending £155 million on four marquee arrivals following a third-place Premier League finish last term, the centre-back argued the squad has been left thin at left-back and in attacking areas.

Former Liverpool defender and Sky Sports analyst Jamie Carragher labelled Martinez's comments "unacceptable" and "terrible", insisting on CBS Sports that the Argentine should focus on his own form instead.

"This doesn't help anyone and it's going to dominate the headlines for days. Every fan loves to have a go at the board, so United supporters might get behind it, but the timing is completely wrong. Lisandro is a top player and a World Cup winner, but his start to the season has been awful, and he has no right to come out and say that right now," Carragher stated.

Carragher added that last season was far from ideal, pointing out that the previous manager was dismissed alongside early exits from cup competitions.

Former United captain and club legend Wayne Rooney was equally critical of the defender's decision to air his grievances publicly. While conceding that the team does need reinforcements both defensively and offensively, Rooney stressed that such matters must stay inside the dressing room. He argued that Martinez's outburst showed a lack of respect toward his teammates, made worse by his own shaky performances this campaign.

"It felt like there was a personal agenda behind it. He just wanted to get it off his chest because what he said didn't reflect the match at all—in fact, I thought the team actually played quite well," Rooney said regarding the controversial remarks.

"Doing that shows disrespect to the rest of the squad. Coming out and saying the team isn't good enough effectively undermines your teammates. Bruno Fernandes is the only one who could possibly say something like that in his role as captain. But even then, any issues—and there are always issues—need to be resolved behind closed doors," the former United striker added.

"Players speak to the manager, and the manager takes it to the board. An interview like that does the club no favours at such a delicate time; it just creates unnecessary noise. It gives off the impression that players are unhappy, unsettled, and lacking trust in one another. That doesn't help the squad in any way," Rooney concluded.