Roy Keane has described Manchester United as ‘a bit of a circus’ after Lisandro Martinez publicly questioned the club’s summer transfer business and technical director Jason Wilcox. The former United captain believes the defender’s outburst, which followed a 2-0 Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid, reflects deeper problems at Old Trafford.
Martinez raised concerns about United’s summer transfer business and technical director Jason Wilcox following Tuesday’s 2-0 Champions League loss to Atletico Madrid. The Argentine later said his remarks had come from ‘anger and frustration’, but Keane views the episode as a symptom of the issues currently surrounding the club.
United are without a win in five matches and have managed just one Premier League victory from their opening six games of the season.
Speaking on The Overlap podcast, Keane criticised Martinez for publicly questioning the club’s leadership when his own performances have come under scrutiny.
‘There will be some fans saying it’s great and some saying you’re letting the team down, especially from a player who hasn’t been at his best, when the team is struggling,’ Keane said.
‘I think as a reflection of the club, it’s obviously chaos there, like a bit of a circus.
‘When you’re going through a difficult spell like United are, the issue I have with certain players saying things is you always have to start with the man in the mirror before you start coming out with all these comments.’
The former United captain also questioned Martinez’s standing within the dressing room, suggesting the defender should concentrate on improving his performances.
‘I don’t think it will be a big falling out, because I think we have question marks over this dressing room anyway,’ Keane added.
‘I don’t think there’s enough characters, enough men in there, but I don’t see him as a senior player at Manchester United. I see him as a centre half who’s making lots of mistakes.’
Former United defender Gary Neville was equally critical of Martinez, arguing that his comments could cause problems within the dressing room.
Neville compared the situation to Wayne Rooney’s contract dispute in 2010, when the striker publicly questioned United’s ambition before eventually signing a new five year deal.
‘I’ve got a problem with this from a player’s perspective,’ Neville said.
‘That is a direct attack on the players you are playing with.
‘So if I were Harry Maguire or Bruno Fernandes, or any other senior player, I would be absolutely fuming with him because you’re basically saying we shouldn’t be here and we should be bringing more players in.’
The intervention from Keane and Neville has placed Martinez’s comments under further scrutiny, with United already facing questions over their form and leadership.
