Madrid, 14 October (H.S.): Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez has expressed his frustration with the club’s senior management and recruitment strategy following the team’s 0-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

Martinez said the club should have made greater efforts to strengthen the squad after returning to the Champions League. He made the remarks in a post-match interview with Amazon Prime.

His comments could further intensify the pressure on Manchester United, who have now gone five consecutive matches without a victory across all competitions. The team have also managed just one win in the English Premier League so far and are currently 13th in the standings.

Speaking to Amazon Prime, Martinez said, “I have to control myself a lot. But sometimes, this reflects the current situation at our club. We had a fantastic season last year. Now, we expect more from the people at the top, from those in senior management, in terms of bringing in more players so that we can compete, because several other teams are also signing a large number of players. Atletico had a fantastic team today as well, and they deserved to win.”

He added, “I expect more from my sporting director. To be honest, we as players also need to perform better. However, it is equally important to build a strong squad so that we are prepared to compete on nights like these.”

Reflecting on the team’s performances last season, Martinez expressed his disappointment with the current situation.

“Last season, we did everything. We laid a strong foundation to become a fantastic team. Coming here and putting in this kind of performance is disappointing and frustrating. I do not see my team coming here and trying to achieve a great result, and that is disappointing,” he said.

Manchester United’s director of football is Jason Wilcox. Ahead of the new season, the club reportedly spent around US$213 million on players such as Carlos Baleba, Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos. Despite the investment, the team have struggled at the start of the campaign.

Rather than blaming the coach alone for the team’s poor performances, Martinez also questioned the role played by other departments within the club.

“You keep changing the manager, then changing him again, and then changing him once more. But what about the other departments?” he said.

Atletico Madrid took the lead in the opening minute through Pablo Barrios. Ademola Lookman added another goal in the second half to seal a 2-0 victory for the Spanish side.

The defeat is also expected to increase the pressure on Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick. However, Martinez’s remarks have further intensified the debate surrounding the club’s recruitment policy, squad development and the accountability of its senior management.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar