Lisandro Martinez Man Utd Outburst: Wilcox Under Fire Again

Lisandro Martinez attacks Man Utd hierarchy after Atletico defeat

Lisandro Martinez launched a scathing attack on Manchester United's recruitment after the 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid, saying: "I expect more from our technical director." Director of football Jason Wilcox is again under scrutiny, but United sources insist he is going nowhere.

Match: Manchester United 0-2 Atletico Madrid
Key quote: "I expect more from our technical director." – Lisandro Martinez
Target: Jason Wilcox, Manchester United director of football
Club stance: Wilcox is not in danger of losing his job
Under-pressure manager: Michael Carrick – five games without a win
Next fixture: Leeds United (away) on Sunday

What was said

"I expect more from our technical director."
— Lisandro Martinez, speaking to CBS after the 2-0 loss to Atletico Madrid

"We don't have the best squad at the moment compared to other top teams. I'm not going to close my mouth. We need more ambition. If we don't say the truth, nothing will change."
— Lisandro Martinez, refusing to be deflected by Peter Schmeichel

"I will do my job and every department, the scouting department, the sporting director, needs to do theirs."
— Ruben Amorim, after a previous game against Wolves (via BBC Sport)

"I am a coach at heart. I am a coach inside, even though I know I have a different job now. That is a strength in my role, but it also causes me a bit of a problem because I always want to interfere in what the managers are doing."
— Jason Wilcox, in an interview with United's in-house media

Martinez's refusal to back down is the core of this story. Peter Schmeichel, working as a post-match interviewer for CBS, tried four times to steer him away from discussing United's summer transfer window. Each time, the Argentina defender went back to the same theme. His message was clear: United's squad lacks the quality of their rivals and the people responsible must answer for it.

The quotes carry extra weight because they follow a familiar pattern. Ten months ago, then-manager Ruben Amorim delivered an explosive press conference at Leeds after Wilcox had subtly advised him to change tactics for a game against Wolves. Amorim was sacked less than 24 hours later. Now Martinez has aimed at the same target.

Why Martinez spoke out

Martinez said he felt it was important to speak out in the way that he did. Many United fans are delighted he went down that path, and the defender was highlighting inadequacies in the club's leadership structure. However, two basic realities cannot be ignored.

First, Martinez's contract expires at the end of the season. United have the option to extend it by another year. His future will be a live topic regardless of what happens on the pitch. Second, he is good friends with Atletico Madrid defender Cristian Romero, and the international colleagues spoke after the game. Romero was similarly forceful against the Tottenham hierarchy last season.

Internally, Martinez's comments create a problem. Michael Carrick deflected questions about the outburst in the immediate aftermath of the defeat, but he will face more probing on the matter when he speaks to the media before Sunday's trip to Leeds. Any players lined up to talk around the Elland Road fixture will be similarly quizzed.

When Youri Tielemans was asked about it by Amazon Prime last night, he replied with a "no comment". Given the comments about recruitment, he would clearly be within his rights to ask Martinez outright: "did you mean me?" Carrick has to manage a delicate dressing-room dynamic at a point when he needs a collective focus on winning enough matches to keep his job. Sources who know the United boss well are adamant there is no better person to handle the turmoil, and it is at times of crisis like this that his innate calmness is a major strength. However, after five games without a win, it is a problem Carrick could do without.

Jason Wilcox's position, Manchester United's summer spending and the Ineos era

Wilcox is going nowhere. United sources say the 55-year-old is not in any danger of losing his job. The club's recruitment department is already working on potential targets for January, because it is accepted that the strategy of not signing left-back competition for Luke Shaw and striking support for Benjamin Sesko was flawed. Both players have missed matches already this term, with Sesko sidelined for an indefinite period after suffering a recurrence of the shin issue that flared up in May and prevented him from playing any part in United's pre-season matches.

Unlike other major footballing countries on the continent, there is no expectation for sporting or technical directors to speak to the media in England. Former United technical director Dan Ashworth did it once during his five months at the club, sitting alongside chief executive Omar Berrada. Wilcox's only extensive interview since he was appointed in April 2024 has been with United's in-house media. He has spoken briefly to the media after matches on only a couple of occasions: after the 2-1 win at Crystal Palace last November, when he told journalists to "trust the process", and in Gothenburg after the pre-season encounter with Paris St-Germain, when he enthused about the potential pairing of Tielemans and captain Bruno Fernandes.

Recruitment was praised in summer 2025, when Senne Lammens was signed ahead of Emi Martinez, who was Amorim's preference, and Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, plus Sesko, reinvigorated United's attack. But the jury is out on the players acquired in the £155m summer outlay this year. Carlos Baleba missed the first six weeks of the season with injury. Andrey Santos has been an unused substitute in the last three Premier League games. Tielemans' form has been patchy. Sources have questioned the overall strategy, and specifically why Tielemans, who has a similar profile to England international Kobbie Mainoo, was signed even for £35m, and whether the £50m committed to Santos would have been better spent on someone who would be a first choice.

Trust is eroding among United fans over the minority ownership, agreed on Christmas Eve in 2023. They might look at the other clubs where Ineos have an influence. Nice are ninth in the French league and Lausanne-Sport are bottom in Switzerland. This doesn't generate a sense of a wider footballing vision that is paying dividends.

At Old Trafford, questions are being asked for the third season in a row over managers who were backed by the hierarchy in the summer. Erik ten Hag was sacked after nine Premier League games in 2024. Amorim went after 20 matches last season. Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has also been blamed by fans for increasing ticket prices and launching what the club said was a ticket touting investigation among season ticket holders, but which supporters felt was an attempt to drive them out in favour of 'tourist' supporters. In their latest set of accounts, United's overall debt stood at £1.1bn, with some fans criticising the decision to spend £63.5m on land for a new 100,000-capacity stadium – set to cost in excess of £2bn – rather than use the money to strengthen Carrick's squad.

Analysis: the pressure on Wilcox, Carrick and United's transfer strategy

Lisandro Martinez is not a fringe player venting on social media. He is a senior defender who chose a broadcast interview to demand more from the people above him. By repeating his criticism after being steered away from the subject four times, he made it clear this was deliberate. His point about the squad is supported by the evidence: United signed three players in the summer when dressing-room sources told BBC Sport they needed more, and it was "fairly obvious" they needed a left-back and a striker. Neither arrived, and both Luke Shaw and Benjamin Sesko have already missed matches.

Jason Wilcox can point to the summer 2025 window as proof of a functioning strategy: Senne Lammens was signed ahead of Emi Martinez, and Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Sesko reinvigorated the attack. But the jury is still out on this year's £155m outlay. Carlos Baleba missed the first six weeks of the season with injury, Andrey Santos has been an unused substitute in the last three Premier League games, and Youri Tielemans has been inconsistent. The £35m spent on Tielemans, a player whose profile mirrors Kobbie Mainoo, and the £50m committed to Santos, who is not a first choice, look questionable. These are the details that give Martinez's words weight, even if he got the job title slightly wrong.

Michael Carrick is the man in the middle. He needs results to keep his job, and a public row between a senior player and the football department makes that harder. His calmness is seen by those who know him as an asset. But five games without a win before a trip to Elland Road is a difficult backdrop. The January window is now the club's first opportunity to answer Martinez. Whether they spend again, and where, will say more about Wilcox's influence than any in-house interview.

Talking points

Martinez is right to speak out. United's summer window left them short at left-back and striker, and the players are the ones who pay for that with defeats.
Martinez is wrong to go public. Contract talks are coming, he is friends with Cristian Romero, and airing this in an interview only piles pressure on Carrick.
Jason Wilcox is safe for now, but if January does not deliver a left-back and a striker, the club's patience will be tested far more than it is today.
The Ineos ownership deserves the scrutiny, not just Wilcox. Nice are ninth, Lausanne-Sport are bottom, and United's debt is £1.1bn while £63.5m went on land for a new stadium.

What happens next

Carrick faces the media before Sunday's trip to Leeds, and questions about Martinez will dominate. The club's recruitment department continues working on January targets, with left-back and striker the priorities after the summer was widely accepted as flawed. If results do not improve, the pressure on Carrick and the scrutiny of Wilcox will only grow.

Frequently asked questions

Did Lisandro Martinez criticise Manchester United's board?

Yes. After the 2-0 loss to Atletico Madrid, he said "I expect more from our technical director" and "We don't have the best squad at the moment compared to other top teams. I'm not going to close my mouth. We need more ambition."

Is Jason Wilcox leaving Manchester United?

No. United sources say the 55-year-old director of football is not in any danger of losing his job, and the recruitment department is working on January targets.