Revealed: How Man United squad feel about Lisandro Martinez vs Scholes-Butt drama
Man United appear to always take two steps back after taking one major step forward at Old Trafford.
Michael Carrick secured a shock win over Man City during his first game in charge, with goals coming from Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu on Saturday, 17 January.
After spending so long on the sidelines, Lisandro Martinez has been welcomed back to the starting lineup, this time partnering with Harry Maguire to great success against their bitter rivals.
In fact, the duo kept Erling Haaland to just 14 touches, three of which were in the United penalty area, keeping a clean sheet, allowing Martinez to fire back at criticism ahead of the game.
Both Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt expected the Man City striker to throw Martinez around like a rag doll, but it was the complete opposite, with the 28-year-old putting on a masterclass of defending.
Man United squad concerned by outside noise amid Lisandro Martinez fallout
The defender dared the Man United legends to come round to his house and say it to his face, and that was not met well. Butt said it was banter, while Scholes told him he needed thicker skin.
Now, according to the Daily Mail, the squad have made their feelings known about outside noise in general, which can certainly be compared to the current situation.
In the dressing room, it is understood that the squad has expressed frustration about how ex-players and pundits seem to kick the club when they’re down to “draw attention to themselves”.
The players welcome criticism from outside of Old Trafford, but there is apparently a concern that digs are becoming personal, rather than focusing on the football. It remains to be seen if the situation will be diffused.
Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt are right about some things at Old Trafford
While the duo might be overstepping the mark with Martinez, there is a lot that the two are right about when it comes to the club’s current situation, one of them being Kobbie Mainoo‘s situation.
Mainoo is now expected to stay at Man United this month, but under Ruben Amorim, the talented academy product was essentially frozen out of the squad, shockingly.
Completely against the situation, Scholes and Butt criticised the handling of the 20-year-old, expressing the dangers of his development being hindered, suggesting that a move elsewhere would be ideal.
Amorim continued to state that the youngster would be going absolutely nowhere, which added yet more confusion to the situation, but that now appears to be over under Carrick.
Those who love the club are always going to weigh in on situations, much like Scholes and Butt have done, but there is a time and place for comments, and this has taken away from the weekend’s win.