Lisandro Martínez has sought to draw a line under the row that followed Manchester United’s defeat to Atlético Madrid, meeting club executives and the manager before issuing a further public apology.
The Argentina defender had already acknowledged that his initial comments came from anger and disappointment after the European loss. His latest statement went further, accepting that the timing and setting of his remarks had not helped a club already working through an uneven season and the familiar scrutiny around Old Trafford.
Martínez moves to settle the matter
-
United’s loss to Atlético on Tuesday left Martínez frustrated, and his comments after the match prompted considerable debate over the club’s sporting situation.
-
In an initial response, the World Cup winner said he had spoken in the heat of the moment, driven by the result, while restating his commitment to Manchester United.
-
Martínez then held talks with the club’s leadership and the manager. He described the meeting as “very positive”, saying the parties had exchanged views and discussed openly what had happened after the match.
-
In his new message, the centre-back apologised for expressing his feelings “at a time and in a place that perhaps were not the right ones”.
-
He said the squad’s attention is now on winning together, with the episode regarded as settled.
A call for unity at Old Trafford
Martínez described himself as a passionate footballer who lives the game intensely, but admitted that his words had not served the collective cause. “Our club is at its best when we are all united,” he said.
He also insisted that everyone at United is working towards the same aim: restoring the success that the club and its supporters deserve. It was a notably calmer note from a player whose reaction to defeat had briefly added another layer of noise to an already demanding campaign.
With the discussion now addressed internally, Martínez’s message was simple: United must put the matter behind them and concentrate on the work ahead.
