Manchester United players reportedly cancelled a team dinner planned for Thursday evening following the 2-0 Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid. The fallout from the loss has been dominated by Lisandro Martinez's explosive outburst aimed at the club's board, with director of football Jason Wilcox the main recipient of his anger.
Martinez apologises after board outburst
The central defender also bemoaned that the squad was not good enough to compete against the likes of Atletico. A day later, he released a statement addressing the matter and stated he merely "spoke out of anger and frustration at not getting the result we all wanted".
United are now five games in all competitions without a win, which has placed further pressure on a big game against Leeds United at Elland Road this Sunday. With focus firmly on that, United's players decided to axe plans to head out for a meal on Thursday evening, as per The Sun.
Left-back concerns behind outburst
The controversy surrounding Martinez may have also had a role in that decision, with Michael Carrick playing Ayden Heaven at left-back on Tuesday evening. The United boss was forced into that decision due to injuries, which was the main reason for the outburst. According to The Sun, the Argentine believes deploying central defender Heaven in that position away to Atletico demonstrated how poorly equipped the squad is.
Their report makes clear that Martinez was not taking aim at Heaven but rather the board for their failure to secure a new left-back. Lewis Hall had been the club's primary target, however Newcastle United were unwilling to sell, which led to links with Joaquin Seys and Barcelona's Alejandro Balde, though neither materialised.
Fresh statement from Martinez
United could undoubtedly benefit from such reinforcement, especially with Luke Shaw potentially sidelined for several weeks through injury. There was also a possibility that an internal disciplinary could see Martinez absent for the game, but the club have only confirmed a fine while Martinez has now issued a fresh statement on the matter.
He wrote on Instagram: "Today I met with the club's leadership and the manager. It was a very positive conversation, where we were able to exchange views and speak openly about what happened after Tuesday's game. Everyone knows that I am a passionate person and that I live football with great intensity. The frustration of the defeat led me to express how I felt at a time and place that perhaps were not the right ones, and for that I want to apologise.
"Our club is at its best when we are all united, and I recognise that my words in that moment did not help with that. I know that every single person at Manchester United is doing everything possible to achieve our shared ambition: bringing the success that this club and its supporters deserve. With this situation now behind us, we are fully focused on winning together."
