Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez has publicly slammed club chief Jason Wilcox following the loss to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
United defeated
United’s winless run extended to five games as Michael Carrick and his players were beaten 2-0 by Atletico, who barely had to exert themselves at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
Atletico needed less than a minute to break the deadlock through Pablo Barrios.
Shortly before half-time, the Spanish giants thought they had extended their lead through Johnny Cardoso’s finish from the edge of the penalty area, but the goal was overturned after a VAR review identified a handball in the build-up.
Things worsened for United midway through the second half when Leny Yoro was sent off after a VAR review for denying substitute Jonathan David a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Fellow substitute Ademola Lookman wrapped up the three points for Atletico when he tapped in from close range after Senne Lammens saved a shot from David.
Defeat on the road. https://t.co/HeITelI9AT
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 13, 2026
After the final whistle, a fuming Martinez spoke to reporters and squarely pointed the blame for the team’s woes at the hierarchy, in particular calling out director of football Jason Wilcox.
Martinez bombshell
The Argentina international said,
“We had a fantastic season last season and now we expect more from the top, from the people upstairs, to bring in more players to compete, because many teams have signed a lot of players as well.”
When pressed whether United have a Champions League-worthy squad, he answered, “I expect more, honestly!”
“100% [expected more investment in the summer].”
“I expect more from our technical director, I have to be honest…”
“I think the players can do more, but it’s also important to build a strong squad to be ready for these kinds of nights.”
He added, “Last season we created a base to build an amazing team, but it’s annoying to come here and not see my team trying to get an amazing result.”
Asked about the manager, Martinez remarked, “I don’t think so. He did his best. Every season is different. You can’t say what you did last season. The team knows how we play. And if you don’t change next season it’s a big problem.”
He continued, “You can’t keep changing, changing, changing managers. But what about other areas? I can’t say more. It’s easy to say the coach and the players but also we have to say others eh?”
Lisandro Martínez did NOT hold back after United’s loss to Atletico 😬👀 https://t.co/OGo25Pzd30
— Prime Video Sport UK (@primevideosport) October 13, 2026
United are next in action on the weekend when they face Leeds United at Elland Road.
Featured image by Denis Doyle via Getty Images
