Lisandro Martinez was substituted at half-time during Manchester United's Premier League clash against Leeds United at Elland Road on Sunday. The Argentine defender was making his first appearance since his controversial outburst following the 2-0 Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night.
In the build-up to the game, Martinez criticised the club's hierarchy, particularly director of football Jason Wilcox, for an underwhelming summer transfer window. He also accused some team-mates of not working hard enough at the start of the season.
Fallout and Apology
According to reports, those comments sparked unrest in the dressing room. Martinez has since issued an apology following talks with senior club executives, and manager Michael Carrick has been keen to draw a line under the situation.
Speaking on Friday, Carrick said: "It's done. We've moved on from that. It was one of those things. As a group we've moved on. It's really not a drama for the group. The squad have trained really well and they are in good spirits."
He added: "It was pretty simple. We understood the situation. Licha [Martinez] understood he made a mistake. We have a really good felling from the club. Results wise it hasn't gone our way, but the spirit and togetherness, we can see in the group we want to do something with this situation. We've moved on. Genuinely. There is a freshness about the group. He [Martinez] is available."
Substitution at Elland Road
As expected, Martinez kept his place in the starting lineup against Leeds as United sought a first win in six games across all competitions to ease pressure on Carrick. However, he did not reappear for the second half.
The reason for the change was not immediately clear, with Noussair Mazraoui making his return from injury. An update is expected in the post-match press conference.
