Lisandro Martínez apologises after talks with Manchester United leadership

Lisandro Martínez has apologised after meeting Manchester United's leadership and manager Michael Carrick on Thursday, following his public criticism of the club's summer recruitment. The Guardian reported that the defender issued his apology after discussions with Carrick and director of football Jason Wilcox, whom he had criticised following the defeat at Atlético Madrid.

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In an Instagram statement reported by the Guardian, Martínez described the meeting as positive and said those involved had been able to discuss the incident openly. He attributed his earlier remarks to frustration after the loss and acknowledged that he had chosen an inappropriate moment and setting to express those feelings.

The Guardian reported that United would not make any disciplinary action public. The club spent £155m on midfielders Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba during the summer, although Wilcox had also targeted a left-back. Martínez's criticism had included a claim that Carrick had not received sufficient backing, alongside an acknowledgement that the players themselves needed to improve. His Thursday statement followed an earlier response on Wednesday that had not included an apology.

BBC Sport reported that the original comments came after Tuesday's 2-0 Champions League loss at Atlético. That result extended United's run without a win to five matches, while their opening six Premier League fixtures had produced only one victory. In his Wednesday social media response, Martínez had already said anger and frustration were behind his decision to speak out.

The defender, 28, is in the final season of his current contract, according to BBC Sport, although United hold an option to extend it for another year. His comments had drawn public criticism from former United players before Thursday's apology. Speaking on The Overlap podcast, Roy Keane argued that players should examine their own performances before making such remarks about the club.

Gary Neville, also quoted by BBC Sport, said criticism of recruitment could be taken by existing team-mates as criticism of their own places in the squad. United's next Premier League match is away to Leeds on Sunday, with the apology arriving ahead of that fixture.