Lisandro Martinez 'formally punished' by Man Utd as INEOS take Wayne Rooney's advice

 Manchester United have handed a formal punishment to Lisandro Martinez after the defender took aim at the club’s recruitment in an explosive interview.

The 28-year-old criticised the club’s technical director Jason Wilcox and blamed the club’s struggles on poor recruitment, following their Champions League loss to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

Martinez released a statement to apologise for his outburst on Thursday. “Today I met with the club’s leadership and the manager,” Martinez posted on social media.

“It was a very positive conversation, where we were able to exchange views and speak openly about what happened after Tuesday’s game.

“Everyone knows that I am a passionate person and that I live football with great intensity.

“The frustration of the defeat led me to express how I felt at a time and place that perhaps were not the right ones, and for that I want to apologise.”

However, Martinez’s apology wasn’t enough for him to escape an official punishment.

Man Utd take action against Lisandro Martinez

Sami Mokbel of BBC Sport has revealed that Martinez has now received a ‘formal punishment’ for his ‘outburst’, having been issued a ‘fine’ by the club.

Michael Carrick will no doubt face questions on the matter when he hosts a press conference on Friday, ahead of this weekend’s game against Leeds United.

Man Utd’s punishment follows Wayne Rooney’s calls for the board to take action following Martinez’s interview.

“The board have to look at that, and they probably have to take some action on that, because that’s just disrespecting the whole football club,” Rooney said on Amazon Prime following the Atletico game.

“Yes, there’s issues, everyone wants more players and better players, but this is the players you’ve got.

“As a player, you’ve got to get on with it. You’ve got to go and show why you’re a World Cup winner, as I said before.

“So, I think the board have to either come out and speak on it, or maybe he’s done that to flush them out and get them to speak to the fans, but I just think it’s the wrong time, and it’s not going to help anyone.

“I think Martinez was very premeditated.

“Why is he doing the interview after this game? Has he put himself forward, I very rarely hear him speak.

“It looked a bit premeditated and something he spoke about with his team to get out there.

“It’s sad because when you need everyone to stick together as players, you can’t be told what’s going on above you.”