Wayne Rooney has criticised Lisandro Martínez for his claims that Manchester United‘s hierarchy didn’t help the players enough in the transfer window.
Defender Martínez reacted explosively after United lost 2-0 to Atlético Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, insisting director of football Jason Wilcox should have brought more quality into the team throughout the summer.
But his interview has drawn criticism from United legend Rooney who used his own experience to explain why Martínez’s public outburst was wrong.
“For me it’s disrespectful to his teammates,” Rooney told Amazon Prime.
“I had a similar situation when I went in and asked Sir Alex Ferguson about what players we were bringing in.
“I apologised two days later, so I can speak from experience of what he’s just done.
“It is very disrespectful. There are a lot of young players in that dressing room, as well. They are looking for some guidance from experienced players.”
Manager Michael Carrick has won just one of seven games this season, and United have lost three of their past five outings.
But Martínez spared Carrick from his criticism and instead aimed his words at the executives of the club.
“It is a reflection of the mirror of how is our club at the moment,” Martínez told Amazon Prime in Madrid. “We did a fantastic season last season and now we expect more from the top, more players to compete because many teams bring many players as well.
“Atlético have an amazing team and they deserve to win today.
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“But I expect more [investment]. 100%. I expect more from our technical director [Jason Wilcox]. I have to be honest, as players we have to do more, but it is also important when you make a strong squad to be ready for this kind of night.”
Martínez insisted that criticism shouldn’t head in Carrick’s direction because regularly changing the manager would not solve United’s problems.
The Argentina defender insisted that United didn’t do enough to evolve their squad from last season.
Carrick refused to be drawn on Martínez’s claims when he was asked.
