The real reason behind Lisandro Martinez’s outburst has come out as Man Utd decide on his punishment.
Lisandro Martinez’s angry outburst after Manchester United’s recent loss was reportedly sparked in part by frustration over a teammate being picked to start.
After United lost 2-0 to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, Martinez surprised fans by sharply criticizing the club’s management for not investing enough in recent months.
Since then, the defender has posted several messages on social media, including an apology, as more details about his rant have come out—and it’s not great news for one of the younger players on the team.
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The loss to Atletico was United’s fifth game without a win in any competition, putting real pressure on manager Michael Carrick. With a tough match against rivals Leeds coming up at Elland Road on Sunday, all eyes are on United, especially after Martinez’s strong comments.
It has now come out that part of Martinez’s frustration was about teammate Ayden Heaven being picked to play left-back.
According to SunSport, Martinez wasn’t happy that the young player, who’s made just four appearances this season, was playing out of his usual centre-back position.
Carrick chose to play Heaven at left-back because Luke Shaw, Noussair Mazraoui, and Patrick Dorgu were all injured and couldn’t play.
But to Martinez, making Heaven play in an unfamiliar spot showed the bigger problem—the club’s lack of proper backing and investment. He made it clear this was behind much of his frustration in his statements.
That said, in his latest message, World Cup winner Martinez apologized for his outburst.
“Today I met with the club’s leadership and the manager. It was a very positive conversation where we shared our views and spoke openly about what happened after the game,” he wrote.
“Everyone knows I’m a passionate person and love football deeply. The frustration of losing made me say things at a time and place that maybe weren’t right, and for that, I want to apologize.
“Our club is best when we’re united, and I realize my words didn’t help in that moment.”
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Even though Martinez has apologized, it doesn’t mean he avoided consequences from the club.
After his comments, there was talk of possible punishments like suspensions or fines.
But it looks like because of how Martinez has handled things since, he won’t be suspended and should be ready to play against Leeds on Sunday.
Instead, United have fined him, and the club considers the matter settled.
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