Manchester United squad shares Martínez's view that Wilcox is failing as director of football

Martínez's Wilcox verdict backed by United squad as pressure mounts on Carrick

Lisandro Martínez's damning assessment that Jason Wilcox is failing as Manchester United's director of football has been echoed across the Old Trafford dressing room, exposing deep frustration at the club's recruitment and a lack of squad depth.

The Argentina defender's outburst came in the aftermath of Tuesday's 2-0 Champions League defeat at Atlético Madrid, a result that left United with just two wins all season. Under Michael Carrick, the side have taken only six points from their opening six Premier League matches — the club's worst league start for 40 years.

Martínez's comments, however, are also viewed within the game as a calculated push to engineer a move away, with the centre-back out of contract next summer and understood to favour a switch to an elite European club outside the Premier League.

"I expect more from our technical director"

While Carrick's position has come under pressure amid the slump, Martínez trained his fire on Wilcox and the wider hierarchy rather than the head coach.

"Tonight it is easy to say the coach, easy to say the players but also we have to see other areas," Martínez said, pointing upwards. "I expect more [investment], 100%. I expect more from our technical director [Jason Wilcox]. I have to be honest, as players we have to do more but it is also important when you make a strong squad to be ready for this kind of night."

Wilcox, the executive responsible for transfers, sanctioned a £155m outlay in the last window on Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba. The decision to add three midfielders without reinforcing elsewhere has been met with bafflement inside the squad — particularly given Wilcox had prioritised a left-back, with Newcastle's Lewis Hall his prime target.

Left-back void lays bare squad planning

The lack of depth at left-back has become the clearest symbol of the players' belief that Carrick has been left short of the tools to compete. Luke Shaw remains United's only senior option in the position, and the 31-year-old's 12-year career at the club has been repeatedly disrupted by injury. Shaw missed both the Atlético defeat and Saturday's 1-1 draw with Tottenham because of a muscular problem.

United's resources were further exposed when they were eliminated from the Carabao Cup by Brighton after Carrick made eight changes. Although Carrick guided United to third last season, that run came after he took over as caretaker in mid-January with only 17 league games remaining, with the team already out of all other competitions.

Pundits round on Martínez's rant

Martínez's post-match intervention drew criticism from the punditry booth. In coverage earlier on 14 October, Jamie Carragher branded the defender's comments "awful" and pointed to his poor start to the campaign, while Wayne Rooney said Martínez had gone too far and disrespected his team-mates.

Whatever the motivation, the episode has laid bare a fractured relationship between a frustrated squad and a recruitment structure that, in the players' eyes, has failed to deliver.