📅 October 15, 2026
Lisandro Martínez Explains His Madrid Outburst: “Anger and Frustration”, but No Apology
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Lisandro Martínez has explained his outburst in Madrid. He hasn’t apologised for it. In a statement on Instagram on Wednesday night he said he “spoke out of anger and frustration at not getting the result we all wanted,” then set out why he still wants more from the club, and from himself.
It’s a step back in tone, not in substance. United still haven’t said anything publicly, and he’s yet to learn whether he’ll be disciplined.
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What he wrote
The statement opens with the context. “Following everything that has been said about my comments yesterday, I want to share some thoughts on what I said and how I feel,” he wrote, per Goal’s full text. “After the match, I spoke out of anger and frustration at not getting the result we all wanted.”
Then the part that’ll matter to the people he criticised. “My words reflect how I feel and how much I want to see this club competing for the biggest honours,” he said. “When I talk about wanting more, I’m talking about the ambition we must all have as part of this club to keep growing, to become stronger and to have everything we need to compete at the highest level.”
He turned it on the dressing room next. “These are standards we must all hold ourselves to, starting with me. I know that, first and foremost, it’s us, the players, who have to deliver, and I put myself at the front of that responsibility.”
And he ended on the manager. “I believe in my teammates, our manager and everyone working to help this club move forward. I’m convinced that the way forward is to keep working together, with ambition and commitment.”
What it does and doesn’t change
Read it next to Tuesday night and the climbdown is smaller than the headlines suggest. On CBS he said he wasn’t going to close his mouth, and he hasn’t. “Anger and frustration” explains the timing. It doesn’t take back what he said about recruitment, and none of the published lines walk back his criticism of Jason Wilcox.
The players-first line isn’t new either. He said “as players we have to do more” in the original interview, a point most of the reaction skipped past (our round-up of the media response has the detail). What he’s done now is lead with it.
The backing for Carrick is consistent too. He defended the manager in Madrid and he’s done it again, which is the one part of this that should help in the dressing room.
What happens next
The club’s position is still unknown. PA and DPA both say United haven’t commented publicly and that he could face internal sanctions. ESPN reports that club bosses discussed his comments on Wednesday, the squad’s day off, and that he’s set to find out on Thursday, when the players return to Carrington, whether any action will be taken.
The fine stories that ran on Wednesday haven’t been confirmed, so we’re not treating them as fact. PA says Carrick is due to speak to the media on Friday ahead of Sunday’s trip to Elland Road, and that’s the first time anyone at the club is likely to be asked about it on the record.
His contract runs out next summer and United hold an option for a further year, per PA and Goal. Whether he starts at Leeds will say more than any statement. The original quotes are in our piece on the interview.
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Sources: The full statement from Goal (Muhammad Zaki, 15 Oct 2026), matched word for word against ESPN’s text of the same statement (14 Oct 2026). The Instagram post, the timing, United’s silence, possible sanctions and the Leeds trip from PA via the Irish News (14 Oct 2026) and DPA via Yahoo Sports (14 Oct 2026). Carrick’s Friday media slot and the contract option from PA; the option is also reported by Goal. The Wednesday meeting and Thursday decision are ESPN’s reporting (14 Oct 2026) and haven’t been confirmed elsewhere. Left out: reports that he will be fined and a reported social media post by a team-mate, neither of which we could confirm from two sources, and a kick-off time for Leeds, which we haven’t verified.