Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has said the club is "like a circus" after defender Lisandro Martinez criticised the club's hierarchy. Speaking after Tuesday's 2-0 defeat by Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, Martinez said he had expected more investment in the squad in the summer and "more from our technical director".
In a social media post on Wednesday, Martinez said he had spoken out of "anger and frustration". The loss in Madrid stretched United's winless run to five games, and they have won just one of their opening six Premier League matches of the season. Keane, speaking on The Overlap podcast, said Martinez's statement reflected the overall state of the club. "There will be some fans saying it's great and some saying you're letting the team down, especially from a player who hasn't been at his best, when the team is struggling," he said. "I think as a reflection of the club, it's obviously chaos there, like a bit of a circus."
Keane added that players speaking out in difficult spells should first look at themselves. Martinez, 28, is out of contract at the end of the season, though United have the option to extend his deal by another year. Keane said he did not expect a major falling-out, but questioned the dressing room, saying there were not enough strong characters, and described Martinez as "a centre-half who's making lots of mistakes" rather than a senior player.
Former United defender Gary Neville compared the incident to Wayne Rooney's comments in 2010, when Rooney pulled out of contract talks before signing a five-year deal two days later. Neville said Martinez's remarks were a direct attack on team-mates, adding that senior players such as Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes would be "absolutely fuming". United travel to Leeds United in the Premier League on Sunday.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing