Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has chosen not to comment much on Lisandro Martinez’s criticism of the club’s leaders after their loss to Atletico Madrid. He said he needs to know more details before he can respond properly.
On Tuesday, Martinez spoke in a post-match interview with Amazon Prime, where he criticized United’s director of football Jason Wilcox. He felt the club did not invest enough in the squad during the summer transfer window.
The defender argued that Carrick should not take the blame for the team's poor start this season. He insisted that the manager did not get the support he needed from the club’s leaders.
United has only won two of their nine matches this season across all competitions. This has raised worries about how the team is performing and their player recruitment.
Wilcox and Chief Executive Officer Omar Berrada spent £155m on new players during the summer. They brought in goalkeeper Karl Darlow and midfielders Andrey Santos, Carlos Baleba, and Youri Tielemans.
Martinez, however, thinks this recruitment was not enough to build on the team's successes from last season. He called for more examination of those in charge of the club’s football plans.
After the match, when asked if he would discuss Martinez’s interview with him, Carrick said, “I need to find out a bit more about it before I can say if and what is going to be done. I really can’t comment any further because I haven’t seen it.”
Carrick was also asked if he agreed with Martinez’s view that the club failed to back him well in the transfer market. He decided not to take a side, explaining that he had not seen the interview. He suggested that Martinez’s feelings might have been affected by the game’s outcome.
“I haven’t seen the interview; I’ve heard about it as the interview was done, but I think it’s a little bit on the emotions of the game as well,” he said.
“Coming here and being disappointed not to get something from the game. Straight after a game for me isn’t the time to talk about that interview because I haven’t seen it, so I can’t really comment on that.
“But I think it’s important for us to move forward quickly, really. There is a big game on Sunday, and it’s really important that we move forward and we stay focused on that. There’s disappointment within the group. I’m very disappointed in certain things, and the boys are as well.”
Despite United’s problems, Carrick believes the players are still dedicated to the team and want to improve their results. He recognized the frustration around the club’s form but said he has no worries about the squad’s unity or their desire to compete.
Carrick said his players are “hurting” because of the tough start to the season, while praising their hard work and commitment.
“I don’t doubt the togetherness or the wanting to win or the willingness to do things to win. I really don’t doubt that,” he said.
“I know results-wise, it’s easy to look and think there’s something kind of deeply wrong because we haven’t won enough games, so I understand that.
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