Lisandro Martinez criticised Manchester United's hierarchy after a 2-0 Champions League loss to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday evening, and MEN writers have debated whether the defender should be punished for his post-match comments.
Martinez spoke with Amazon Prime Sport after the match, saying: "Really poor, really poor. I have to control myself a lot but sometimes it's a reflection of how our club is at the moment. We had a fantastic season last season, and now we expect more from the top, from up."
He added: "To bring more players to compete because many teams bring many players as well, and today also, Atletico had an amazing team and they deserved to win. I expect more. I expect more from our technical director."
Martinez's frustration after Atletico defeat
United's night was made worse when Leny Yoro was sent off with around 15 minutes left for bringing down Jonathan David as the last man back. Pablo Barrios and Ademola Lookman scored for Atletico.
The result follows a 1-1 draw with a struggling, 10-man Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. United sit 13th in the Premier League table with just one win from their opening six matches.
When told that boards usually start to point fingers at the manager when results start to dry up, Martinez said: "You start changing, changing, changing managers, but what about other areas? I can't say more."
MEN writers have their say
Aaron Morris said: "Of course, it is important to understand that Martinez is an employee of Manchester United, and that his criticism reflects badly on the club. I think any employer would take swift punishment if they found one of their workers to publicly criticise their organisation in such ruthless fashion."
Matt Abbott said: "Michael Carrick acknowledged the possibility of United taking action against Martinez after his comments, and it would be a surprise if the club did not. At the very least, he should be spoken to by Carrick, and a conversation with Jason Wilcox would not go amiss."
Bruna Reis said: "While it is encouraging to see players like Martinez care so deeply about Manchester United, there is a time and a place for these conversations, and a post-match interview following a Champions League defeat is not it." She added: "I believe United should fine Martinez and drop him for their next couple of games."
Amie Wilson said: "While I like seeing players showing their personality and not being guarded in post-match interviews, I think there is a right and a wrong time and way to do it, and Martinez got the wrong time." She added: "I do feel like there should be some sort of sanction, if that comes in terms of a fine, or being dropped for a game."
