Manchester United manager Michael Carrick said he has no concerns about Lisandro Martínez's commitment amid criticism over the defender's recent conduct at the club. SI reported that Martínez is expected to hold formal talks with club officials in the coming days to address a handful of issues.
Carrick backs Martínez's commitment
Carrick said: "I’ve got no concerns about his commitment at all."
Carrick said: "Things happen in football sometimes. You do things, sometimes you make your decisions, sometimes you make mistakes, sometimes it goes well for you. But the commitment is not an issue, for sure."
Carrick said: "The dressing room is a good, good place, so perception’s a funny thing. You can make things look in different ways and think about all sorts of things."
Carrick said: "I’ve said it before, the commitment of the players to the club, to me, to each other, I don’t question that at all. We need to play better. We can make better decisions, but commitment’s not a thing at all."
SI reports formal talks are expected
SI said Martínez's rant was followed by a red card in Manchester United's 2–0 defeat to Chelsea.
Butt criticises Martínez on Football Uncensored
Nicky Butt told Football Uncensored: "That lad’s a bluffer, full stop. Just a bluffer. The Butcher, his nickname is. I mean it’s ... yeah."
Butt said: "He’s got the audacity to go out onto an interview and s--- off the powers that be about buying players when he’s not even playing well himself. If they were going to go and buy players, he’d be careful because he’s the first one they’d replace. Performance-wise, he’s been lacking so much."
Butt said: "Listen, I was never the best player. I know my level, I know I had a lot of bad games. But one thing I did every single time I went out was ran my myself into the ground and was honest when looking at my teammates in the eye and said, ‘I gave you everything I’ve got. I might’ve been c--- today but I worked hard.’"
Butt's comments on the Chelsea match
Butt said: "[Martínez] threw it in the other day [against Chelsea]. He threw it in with that elbow because that was the most obvious thing anyone could do. The reason why he did it is because he’s not strong enough to defend properly."
Butt said: "He thought, ‘You know what, I’ll cut corners, I’ll cheat, I’ll put my elbow is someone’s face and I’ll get sent off and I’ll leave all the other 10 lads, who by the way I said two weeks ago that these aren’t good enough to play with me.’"
Butt said: "I’m getting changed in the changing room and I’m sitting next to these lads and they’re going, ‘He thinks I’m not good enough.’ If that was back in my day, he would’ve completely have had his head ripped off. Everyone would’ve said, ‘Who do you think you are talking about me like that with the performances you’re putting in?’"
Butt said: "Even if he was European Player of the Year, you still don’t speak like that about your teammates and your powers that be upstairs. No matter what you think behind closed doors, you don’t go and say that."
Butt said: "He has now gone from—I don’t know why, I have no idea why—he’s gone from someone the fans love to someone the fans loathe and want out of their football club. He’s absolutely killed himself."
SI said Butt played 387 games for United between 1993 and 2004.
