Man Utd to Punish Lisandro Martinez After Outburst Against Club Hierarchy

Lisandro Martinez is set to be fined by Manchester United after his public attack on the club's bosses following Tuesday's 2-0 Champions League defeat by Atletico Madrid, according to a report from The Athletic.

Club sources reportedly see a heavy fine as unavoidable after his post-match comments. He also repeated his criticism across several TV interviews, which has left United with little room to move. Dropping him from the starting line-up is being seriously considered too, so he could be left out for their next league game.

The 28-year-old Argentina defender spoke to broadcasters at the stadium and put the blame for the club's struggles on the board. He singled out director of football Jason Wilcox. Martinez is unhappy with United's summer business. 

Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba arrived for a combined £155 million, but he feels the squad still lacks top quality. The United hierarchy are said to be furious that he went public, and the row has added to the pressure on head coach Michael Carrick, who is already struggling after a poor start to the season.

The Athletic also says Martinez's future at Old Trafford looks bleak. Any hope of him signing a new deal beyond his current 2027 expiry is now close to dead. United do hold an option to extend his contract to 2028, but his relationship with key executives is said to be badly damaged. A move away looks more and more likely, either through a sale next summer to raise money or a free transfer later on.

His outburst does point to real unrest over how Wilcox's team has run things. The director of football has had a rocky spell and reportedly clashed with former boss Ruben Amorim before Amorim was sacked. 

United missed out on several main targets and chose not to sign a new striker to back up the injury-prone Benjamin Sesko. That has left the squad looking unbalanced. Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea all spent more than United in the latest window, which has added to the unhappiness in the dressing room.

United now have to refocus quickly for Sunday's trip to bitter rivals Leeds United at Elland Road. Carrick badly needs a win to ease the questions over his job, and bosses like Eddie Howe and Antonio Conte are already being linked with the United hot seat. 

It is not yet clear if Martinez will be kept out of the matchday squad, but a win in Yorkshire is a must if Carrick wants to calm things down.