Former Manchester United captain, Wayne Rooney ,has criticised defender Lisandro Martinez for publicly questioning the club’s hierarchy, accusing the Argentine of disrespecting his team-mates and suggesting his comments were deliberately planned.
Rooney’s reaction followed Manchester United’s 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League, with goals from Pablo Barrios and Ademola Lookman extending the Red Devils’ winless run to five matches across all competitions under manager Michael Carrick.
Despite an improved display in Spain, Martinez used his post-match interview to demand greater investment from the club’s hierarchy.
The Argentine defender also openly criticised technical director Jason Wilcox, saying he expected more support to build a squad capable of competing with Europe’s leading clubs.
However, Rooney questioned the defender’s decision to speak publicly about the club’s recruitment plans, arguing that such matters should be addressed internally.
“It’s a difficult one because I always used to feel like I was outspoken as a player and you want to have your opinion, but I think he’s maybe gone too far,” Rooney argued.
“That should be down to the manager, and that should stay internal because the fans want to hear the players speak and they want to see them care.
“He clearly cares and wants the club to invest more money and more players, and if they do that, I think he’ll be one of the players out of the door if I’m being honest with his performances.”
The former England international acknowledged that Manchester United needed reinforcements but maintained that Martinez’s individual performances did not justify his public criticism of the squad.
“His performances haven’t been good enough but I think in some ways he is right, in terms of the club need to invest more at the top end of the pitch and in defence as well,” he continued.
“I think it looks like that was a bit of an agenda from him because that doesn’t mirror the performance. I thought the performance was better.
“I think it’s a bit disrespectful to his team-mates as well because he’s disrespecting his team-mates, he’s saying they’re not good enough. I think Bruno is probably the only one who has any right coming out and saying something like that, if I’m being honest as captain.
“And even then it should be behind closed doors if there are issues, which does happen. Players have conversations with the manager, the manager then has a conversation with the board. But that interview there, it’s not going to help the situation the club is in at the minute.”
Rooney also warned that Martinez’s intervention could worsen tensions within the dressing room, suggesting the defender might have been motivated by concerns about his own future at Old Trafford, including his contract situation.
“Now all that’s going to bring is more noise around it, the players are unhappy, they’re unsettled, they don’t trust in their own team-mates, that’s not going to help at all,” he continued. “I think it looks like a player trying to look after himself in my opinion.
He’s probably disappointed he hasn’t been offered a new contract and there’s reasons he’s not been offered a new contract.
“I think the Martinez was very premeditated. Why is he doing the interview after this game? Has he put himself forward? I very rarely hear him speak. It looked a bit premeditated and something he spoke about with his team to get out there.”
He added that unity among the players, manager and coaching staff was crucial during the club’s difficult period.
“It’s sad because when you need everyone to stick together as players, you can’t be told what’s going on above you, so you need the players, the manager, and the coaching staff to stick together when you’re having a difficult time; otherwise, something like that will rip a dressing room apart.”
Drawing comparisons with his own experience at Manchester United, Rooney recalled how he questioned former manager Sir Alex Ferguson over the club’s transfer policy before later apologising.
“For me, it’s disrespectful to his team-mates, I had a similar situation when I went in and asked Alex Ferguson about what players were bringing in, and I apologised two days later,” Rooney recalled.
“So I can speak from experience of what he’s just done, I think it is very disrespectful, there’s a lot of young players in that dressing room as well, I need some guidance from experienced players.”
Rooney called on Manchester United’s leadership to address the situation, arguing that Martinez’s comments could further destabilise the team at a time when it needed greater unity.
“The board have to look at that, and they probably don’t have to take some action on that, because that’s just disrespecting the whole football club,” he concluded.
“So, I think the board have to either come out and speak on it, or maybe you don’t have to flush them out and get them to speak and speak to the fans, but I just think it’s the wrong time, and it’s not going to help anyone at the club and it’s not going to help his teammates or the manager.”
