Roy Keane has challenged Lisandro Martinez to look in the mirror before criticising the Manchester United hierarchy after comments he made following the club’s defeat by Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.
Martinez sparked massive controversy earlier this week when he blasted United technical director Jason Wilcox for a perceived lack of ambition in the summer transfer market.
Speaking after 10-man United were beaten 2-0 away by Atletico on Tuesday night to continue their struggles this season and pile more pressure on under-fire manager Michael Carrick, Martinez openly criticised Wilcox and said he expected more investment in the squad after finishing third in the Premier League last season.
Martinez's comments polarise fanbase
Martinez’s comments, which he has since said came out of “anger and frustration” but for which he refused to apologise, have polarised the United fanbase, with some supporters praising his openness and others suggesting he has created a rift in the dressing room.
Old Trafford icon Keane, though, believes Martinez should take a closer look at his own performances before being so openly critical of United’s business in the transfer market.
“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 on the latest episode of the Stick to Football podcast.
“I think as a reflection of the club, it's obviously chaos there, like a bit of a circus.”
Keane: Senior players need collective responsibility
He added: “Listen, that's where I go and look at the man in the mirror. Before you start coming up with all these comments, go back to... at least start playing well yourself.
“To get Man United back to where you think they should be, near the top of the table, is to start defending better.
“As you said, it is October. What are they going to do? They can't do anything until January. You're not going to get top players in January.
“Some of his criticism about his teammates are the lads who have come into the club, who are supposed to be settling into the club, and these senior players are supposed to be helping them.”
United spent close to £150million on new players in the summer, bringing in Carlos Baleba, Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans to overhaul their midfield options.
However, they failed to sign a new left-back or striker and are now short in both positions after injuries to Luke Shaw and Benjamin Sesko.
Neville: Martinez directly attacking teammates
Keane’s fellow United legend Gary Neville believes Martinez’s comments have been unhelpful and are likely to have been taken as a direct attack on his teammates, particularly those who signed over the summer.
“When Martinez says they should have brought more players in, he's directly attacking his teammates,” Neville added.
“So if I was a player this morning, if I was Bruno Fernandes and I was Harry Maguire and the other senior players, I'd be absolutely fuming with him, because he's basically saying that some of us shouldn't be here and we should be bringing more players in. That's what I think he's saying.”
While Martinez’s United future is now in doubt, with the 28-year-old’s contract expiring next summer, Keane thinks the club’s senior players need to take more collective responsibility.
The former Republic of Ireland international argued that podcast appearances made in recent months by Maguire and Fernandes have been unhelpful and spoke to the single-mindedness of the United dressing room.
“The last few months, so this reflects where Man United are, and this dressing room is,” Keane said. “Maguire gets left out of the England squad [for the World Cup].
“Big (news). He's all upset with that. The player's mindset at Man United at this moment in time, you're on about competing and trying to get back to the top.
“Maguire gets that upset. He says, but instead of rolling his sleeves up during the summer, I'm going to go to New York and do a podcast (The Rest Is Football) for a few weeks. Right? That's his mindset.
“I kind of made a mistake here with Bruno on this programme. Bruno goes on a podcast (Diary of a CEO).
“So he's the captain of Man United. He goes on there, he has a little dig at me, no problem. He's entitled to respond.
“So that's a mindset of a Man United player. I'm going to start doing these little gigs instead of getting Man United competing at the very top.
“So this idea, when I see a player have a little b***h the last few days. I'd be more annoyed at Maguire and Bruno for getting things off their chest on podcasts.”
