Keane: Man Utd 'like a circus' after Martinez criticism
Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane said Manchester United were "like a circus" after defender Lisandro Martinez publicly criticised the club hierarchy following Tuesday's 2-0 Champions League defeat by Atletico Madrid, which stretched United's winless run to five games. Keane made the remarks on The Overlap, an external podcast.
Martinez, who joined United from Ajax in 2022, criticised the club for not strengthening the squad after qualification for the Champions League and said he expected more investment in the United squad and "more from our technical director [Jason Wilcox]". He posted on social media on Wednesday that he had spoken out of "anger and frustration". The 28-year-old's contract expires at the end of the season and United have the option to extend it by another year.
Keane addressed how supporters and team-mates might react, saying: "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." He added: "I think as a reflection of the club, it's obviously chaos there, like a bit of a circus." Keane also cautioned about public criticism from players, saying: "When you're going through a difficult spell like United are, the issue I have with certain players saying things is you always have to start with the man in the mirror before you start coming out with all these comments."
On the same podcast Keane said he did not expect a major split between Martinez and the club: "I don't think it will be a big falling-out - because I think we have question marks over this dressing room anyway." He continued: "I don't think there's enough characters - enough men in there - but I don't see him as a senior player at Manchester United. I see him as a centre-half who's making lots of mistakes."
Former United defender Gary Neville compared the episode to comments made by Wayne Rooney in 2010. "I've got a problem with this from a player's perspective," said Neville. "That is a direct attack on the players you are playing with." He added: "So if I were Harry Maguire or Bruno Fernandes, or any other senior player, I would be absolutely fuming with him because you're basically saying we shouldn't be here and we should be bringing more players in."
United travel to Leeds United in the Premier League on Sunday. Keane and Neville were among the pundits who have publicly reacted to Martinez's comments.