This was on a par with Roy Keane’s prawn sandwich rant. Except instead of calling out supporters, Lisandro Martinez went in two-footed on the people who pay his wages.
It is fair to say the Manchester United centre-back can forget about extending his contract beyond this season. More likely, this was his Tony Montana moment. He will go out with a bang, having decided he no longer wants to be part of the Red Devils malaise.
What was most scathing about his extraordinary post-match interview following United’s 2-0 defeat by Atletico Madrid, their fourth loss already this season, was what Martinez did not say. He looked up as he suggested “others” deserved scrutiny for United’s failings beyond Michael Carrick. And, in a display of astonishing chutzpah, he was entirely correct.
“I have to control myself but sometimes it is a reflection of how our club is at the moment,” Martinez said. “I expect more [investment]. I expect more from our technical director [Jason Wilcox]. I have to be honest, as players we have to do more but it is also important when you make a strong squad to be ready for this kind of night.
“I don’t think so [manager backed enough]. 100 per cent. He does his best. Every season is different. You can’t stay with what you did last season. The teams know how we play, they know every detail, if you don’t change next season is a big problem.
“You can’t keep changing, changing, changing the manager. What about other areas? [looks up]. I can’t say more. Tonight it is easy to say the coach, easy to say the players, but also we have to see other areas [points up].”
This was no slip of the tongue. Martinez gave a similar interview to Peter Schmeichel on CBS, questioning the club’s ambition, before repeating his message in Spanish. It was a coordinated attack. Amad Diallo’s Snapchat post late into the Madrid night hinted that he, too, shared the same frustrations.
Wayne Rooney was quick to criticise Martinez, drawing on his own experience of regretting his decision to storm into Sir Alex Ferguson’s office in 2010 and ask to leave. United’s all-time leading goalscorer insisted Martinez should apologise, labelling the Argentine’s outburst disrespectful.
On this occasion, however, Rooney is wrong. When Rooney made his outburst, United were in the midst of a run of three Champions League finals in four years. The disgruntled forward had no right to call out a great such as Ferguson or a club at the peak of its powers. Martinez, on the other hand, could no longer stomach the litany of gloom hanging over Old Trafford.
A sensible transfer window was perhaps overdue this summer, particularly with a new stadium to pay for. But spending all their available funds on midfielders while neglecting other pivotal positions has left United supporters reliving the same miserable Groundhog Day. Failing to sign another left-back or striker was especially unfathomable. Another season is being written off before October is out.
The last person to call out Wilcox and the United hierarchy was sacked within 24 hours. This time, perhaps Wilcox should be the one to receive the Ruben Amorim treatment.
Several sources who have spoken to The i Paper have questioned Wilcox’s ability to do the job and expressed bewilderment that someone who had previously been a director of football only once, at Southampton, has been given so much power at United.
Dan Ashworth’s surprise departure, just months after he was prised away from Newcastle, thrust Wilcox into a position he had not initially signed up for. Those involved are sworn to secrecy and have signed non-disclosure agreements, but a source close to the United hierarchy told The i Paper that Ashworth’s exit was “mostly his fault, but not all his”.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the United board decided they did not need to replace Ashworth, despite having coveted him for so long, because Wilcox could fulfil the role. The best in the class, remember?
One key failing by Wilcox, several sources said, was his inability to sell Marcus Rashford in the summer. While the England international’s wages were a stumbling block, Wilcox “badmouthed him to other Premier League executives and then tried to sell Rashford to the same people”. Rashford’s performance in Madrid, where he remains without a goal since returning, was his worst yet.
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Carrick appears to be a dead man walking but, as Martinez points out, would another change of manager really make any difference? In the 13 years of wilderness since Ferguson’s departure, seven head coaches and countless interim appointments, including some of the game’s most elite tacticians, have failed to awaken this sleeping giant. Why would the next one succeed?
Not when the structure in place is unfit for purpose. Wilcox is nowhere near the best in the class. He is sitting in the corner wearing a dunce’s hat.
Martinez is right. The structure Ineos has put in place cannot support any manager, regardless of their ability, in stemming the United bleeding. Until that changes, United’s nightmarish death spiral will continue at its current dizzying rate.