Martinez publicly targets Wilcox after Atletico defeat as United back director
Martinez calls for more ambition after Madrid loss
Lisandro Martinez’s explosive post-match comments after Manchester United’s 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday have placed director of football Jason Wilcox and the club’s hierarchy under renewed scrutiny.
Speaking to CBS after the Champions League loss, Martinez said: "We don’t have the best squad at the moment compared to other top teams. I’m not going to close my mouth. We need more ambition. If we don’t say the truth, nothing will change."
He added: "I expect more from our technical director." The Argentina defender was pressed on United’s summer transfer window on four occasions by former United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel and refused to be deflected each time.
United insist Wilcox has full backing
Sky Sports News football correspondent Rob Dorsett reports: "Jason Wilcox retains the full support of his Manchester United bosses, despite the personal criticism directed at him by Lisandro Martinez."
According to the club, Wilcox is working to a carefully planned transfer strategy sanctioned by chief executive Omar Berrada and co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The hierarchy is determined to stick to strict spending plans and avoid repeating past mistakes where players remained on lucrative long contracts.
United sources point to record revenue of £678m in 2025/26 alongside a pre-tax loss of £47m as the financial context for the rebuild. The plan is said to be based in part on intelligence from director of data and AI Michael Sansoni.
The 2025 summer window focused on attack with the arrivals of Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha. This summer the focus switched to midfield and United spent £158m on Carlos Baleba, Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans. All three started in Madrid.
Sources accept the strategy of not signing left-back competition for Luke Shaw and striking support for Benjamin Sesko was flawed. Shaw remains the only recognised senior left-footed full-back and Sesko has been sidelined for an indefinite period after a recurrence of a shin issue.
Dressing-room reaction and contract questions
Dorsett said some team-mates did not like the comments and that "at least one of them challenged him as they were getting on the plane to come back from Spain last night because Martinez was suggesting that some of his team-mates aren’t good enough and he’d like better replacements."
Kaveh Solhekol said Martinez is frustrated after playing at the World Cup in the summer with Lionel Messi and reaching the final with Argentina: "He wants to be challenging for trophies at this stage of his career. And he’s come back to Manchester United."
Martinez’s contract expires at the end of the season, with United holding an option to extend by another year. BBC Sport reports that by being so outspoken against senior figures, questions have been raised about whether he is seeking to ensure that option is not triggered.
When asked about the outburst on Tuesday night, Tielemans replied with a "no comment" to Amazon Prime.
What next for Carrick and the squad
Interim boss Michael Carrick will face probing ahead of Sunday’s trip to Leeds. Dorsett said: "I don’t think he’ll be dropped because Michael Carrick needs him. As Paul Merson said, this has probably done Carrick a bit of a favour."
Technically the comments constitute a breach of contract and discipline remains to be seen. Wilcox has only spoken briefly to the media since his April 2024 appointment, previously telling journalists to "trust the process" after the 2-1 win at Crystal Palace in November.
Recruitment in summer 2025 was praised for Senne Lammens signing ahead of Emi Martinez, and the arrivals of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Sesko. The jury remains out on Baleba, who missed the first six weeks of the season with injury, Santos, who has been an unused substitute in the last three Premier League games, and Tielemans, whose form has been patchy.
United were unable to compete financially for targets such as Antoine Semenyo and Elliot Anderson when Manchester City tabled higher bids, illustrating the financial reality the club says it faces.