Manchester United told brutal Lisandro Martinez verdict after bold Michael Carrick call

Martinez benched for Roma after red card at Chelsea and public criticism of the club's recruitment strategy; Young calls for his departure.

Lisandro Martinez was left on the bench for Manchester United's Champions League tie against Roma, with Ayden Heaven preferred alongside Harry Maguire. The decision came after a turbulent period for the Argentina centre-back, who was sent off in United's 2-0 loss to Chelsea at the weekend and received no acknowledgment from manager Michael Carrick as he left the pitch.

Martinez had sparked controversy by publicly criticising the club's hierarchy and director of football Jason Wilcox following United's 2-0 defeat by Atletico Madrid. He initially doubled down on those comments via social media before retracting them after a meeting with Carrick and the United board. The timing of his benching was compounded by a suspension for the upcoming Premier League fixture against Aston Villa, which would normally have made him a certainty for the midweek European game.

Former United defender Ashley Young has called for the club to move Martinez on, saying on Amazon Prime Video: "If I was the manager at the club or if I was one of the owners, I'd be looking at January and saying, 'get him out now'. Just get rid of him. Because he's not bringing anything to the football club." Martinez's contract expires at the end of the season, and it is believed he wanted to leave in the summer to join Atletico Madrid, though a deal never materialised.