Lisandro Martinez criticizes Manchester United board after Champions League defeat

Manchester United's defeat at Atletico Madrid became the setting for a public challenge to the club's leadership. Lisandro Martinez criticized the hierarchy after the 2-0 Champions League loss, Sky Sports reported.

His complaint went beyond the performance that night. According to BBC Football, Martinez accused United of failing to strengthen the squad after qualifying for the Champions League.

On October 13, goals from Pablo Barrios and Ademola Lookman sent United to a 2-0 defeat, according to the Guardian. The outlet described the result as a continuation of United's poor start to the season.

After the match, Martinez said the hierarchy had failed to prepare a "Champions League quality squad", ESPN FC reported. He also said players "expect more from the top".

The criticism included specific targets. The42 reported that Martinez called out technical director Jason Wilcox and the club owners over a lack of investment during the summer. L'Équipe also reported that his criticism of United's recruitment policy focused on the technical director.

Martinez has publicly tied United's difficulties to decisions made above the players. His central complaint, as reported by BBC Football and ESPN FC, is that Champions League qualification was not followed by sufficient squad strengthening.

The supplied coverage contains no response from Wilcox, the owners or the wider club hierarchy. It also does not establish whether other players have publicly backed Martinez or whether United will take any action over his comments.