Paul Scholes sparks new feud with Lisandro Martinez after saying he was ‘bullied’ in Spurs draw
Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has once again criticized Lisandro Martinez after Manchester United’s 1-1 draw with Spurs.
Martinez seemed to be at fault for Dominic Solanke’s late equalizer at Old Trafford on Saturday (October 10). United looked like they would secure a much-needed win when Bryan Mbeumo scored with 17 minutes left, and Spurs midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off for head-butting Luke Shaw. But Solanke managed to hold off Martinez and score in stoppage time, denying United the victory.
So far this season, United have picked up just six points from six games, with their only win coming against Ipswich Town in August.
Scholes wasn’t happy with how easily Solanke outmuscled Martinez before scoring. On The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, he said the area of centre-backs hasn’t been fixed for years. He pointed out that Martinez is a good player with the ball but was physically “bullied” by Solanke — something a centre-back shouldn’t allow. Scholes said if it had been Harry Maguire, he might have dealt with it better.
Previously, Scholes and co-host Nicky Butt joked about Martinez’s height compared to Erling Haaland, with Butt saying Haaland could “pick him up and run with him.” Martinez responded in January that he didn’t mind what they said and invited Scholes to come talk to him directly if he wanted.
Scholes also said he believes United are still far from challenging top teams like Manchester City and Liverpool for the Premier League title. He called the team “irrelevant” and said they “don’t look fit enough,” especially after six games. He mentioned that even with quality players, United seem physically behind other teams.
He added, “I’d bet that by December, they might be sixth or seventh in the table, maybe out of the League Cup and struggling in the Champions League. Then suddenly, they’ll start winning because no one really worries about them anymore.”
United will next play Atletico Madrid away in the Champions League tonight (October 13).