Following Manchester United’s 2-0 defeat away to Atlético Madrid, Lisandro Martínez openly criticised football director Jason Wilcox and the club’s senior leadership. “We don’t have the best squad at the moment compared with other top teams,” the defender said. “I expect more [investment], 100%. I expect more from our technical director [Jason Wilcox] … Really poor [the Atlético defeat] – I have to control myself a lot but something is a reflection of the mirror of how our club is at the moment.” His forceful comments have raised several important questions about the situation at United.
Does Martínez speak for the wider squad?
The brief answer appears to be yes. Reports suggest that members of the squad were puzzled by the decision to pursue three midfielders—Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba—without also improving other positions during the summer. Carrick guided United to third place last season after taking charge in January, when only 17 league fixtures remained and the team had already exited every other competition. Defensive additions are now especially important because Diogo Dalot, Martínez, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw have formed the core of the back line since 2022. Martínez’s contract expires next summer, and the club may choose neither to offer the 28-year-old fresh terms nor activate its one-year extension. His teammates therefore recognise that his criticism may also reflect an expectation that he will leave.
How responsible is Wilcox?
As United’s football director, the 55-year-old has extensive control over sporting decisions, with only Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who oversees sporting policy, holding greater authority. If accountability rests with the executive team, Wilcox must answer for the club’s latest transfer window. It is not the first questionable episode of his tenure. While his predecessor, Dan Ashworth, was on gardening leave from Newcastle during the first half of 2024, Wilcox interviewed possible replacements for Erik ten Hag before unexpectedly deciding that the head coach should remain. Ten Hag received a new contract but was dismissed later that autumn. Wilcox subsequently had a major disagreement with Ruben Amorim, whom he appointed as Ten Hag’s successor. The Portuguese coach claimed that Wilcox wanted him to abandon his preferred 3-4-3 formation. “I came here to be the manager of Manchester United – not to be the coach of Manchester United,” Amorim said after a 1-1 draw at Leeds on 4 January, despite officially holding the title of head coach. He was dismissed the following day. Wilcox previously worked alongside chief executive Omar Berrada at Manchester City, where Berrada became chief football operations officer and Wilcox served as academy director. Wilcox then joined Southampton as football director in summer 2023 before moving to United in April 2024 after being selected by Berrada. That career path has prompted questions about whether he possesses sufficient experience at the highest level.
How much responsibility belongs to Carrick?
The 45-year-old’s chances of succeeding depend heavily on the quality of Wilcox’s recruitment work, meaning he cannot carry all the blame for collecting only six points from six league matches and recording two wins across all competitions this season. Nevertheless, Carrick’s position as head coach requires him to maximise the squad available to him and deliver improvement through training. On matchdays, there is little justification for United’s lack of cohesion, weak running figures and two failures to capitalise on a numerical advantage: the 1-0 defeat by City and Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Tottenham. The players still appear to support him, according to Santos. “We believe in the manager, we believe in the whole staff, we believe in [ourselves as] players,” he said after the Atlético match. “We are in a bad moment but we have to work to change this result.”
Are United’s discipline and togetherness beginning to collapse?
Amad Diallo’s Snapchat message following the Atlético defeat offered further evidence of growing frustration: “Fucking disgrace; I have no words.” United now have a World Cup winner in Martínez publicly challenging Wilcox and, indirectly, Ratcliffe and Berrada, while another senior player has posted an angry but unclear reaction. It is uncertain whether Diallo was referring to the performance, Martínez’s criticism, the perceived weakness of the squad or something else entirely. That uncertainty has intensified the impression of turmoil. Similar problems can be seen on the field: United’s total running distance of 671.4km in the Premier League is the fifth-lowest in the competition, compared with Arsenal’s leading figure of 716.2km. Their 581 sprints are also the fourth-lowest total, while Brentford lead that category with 765.
What role do the Glazers play in the situation?
Wilcox can argue that his work is constrained by the six American siblings who remain United’s majority owners. Their family has burdened the club with debt exceeding £1.1bn, significantly limiting the money available for transfers. Wilcox supervised summer spending of £155m, with a net outlay of roughly £100m. By comparison, City spent £457.5m and recorded a net expenditure of about £175m. Their purchases included Enzo Fernández for a joint British-record £125m, Elliot Anderson for £115m, Ayyoub Bouaddi for £81m and Iliman Ndiaye for £65m. Those deals demonstrated their superior financial strength, supported by a stronger record of generating income through player sales. However, a verdict issued last month, which found repeated rule-breaking, has placed renewed attention on how they reached such a powerful position.
Can United find any reasons for optimism?
Carrick and his coaching team will welcome any encouraging sign, and Carlos Baleba’s first 97 minutes in a United shirt provided one. Introduced after 59 minutes against Spurs, he produced a sharp turn and delicate pass to Bruno Fernandes in a moment that captured the promise of his overall debut. Against Atlético, the 22-year-old pressed opponents aggressively and committed strongly to challenges, displaying energy, physical power and technical quality. It remains very early, but Baleba might have influenced several poor results had he been available from the beginning of the season rather than recovering from an ankle injury. Those matches include the defeat at Hull, the 2-2 draw with Everton in which Ainsley Maitland-Niles scored a late equaliser, the 1-0 loss to City after Phil Foden was dismissed in the 23rd minute, and the Carabao Cup elimination by Brighton.
What do you feel about this post?
Like
Love
Happy
Haha
Sad
