Paul Scholes’ sideline shot at Lisandro Martinez sparked a backlash in a newly emboldened Manchester United dressing room after the win over Manchester City
Paul Scholes mocks Lisandro Martinez as he prepares for derby (Image: YouTube / The Good, The Bad & The Football)
Paul Scholes has accepted Lisandro Martinez’s offer to visit his home and voice his criticism in person, following growing tensions between former stars and current Manchester United players.
Martinez was one of the players who stood out in United’s 2-0 derby victory over Manchester City in Michael Carrick’s first game as caretaker manager on Saturday. The Argentine defender outclassed Erling Haaland in a duel, despite their obvious height mismatch.
It happened after the 5ft 9in centre-back caught the stick of former United midfielder Scholes and Nicky Butt. Butt joked that Haaland “would pick up Martinez and run with him” like “a dad running down the street with his toddler after school”, adding that Scholes “would score and then put him in the net”.
Asked about his post-match comments, Martinez said: “Honestly, he (Scholes) can say whatever he wants to say. I’ve already told him that if you have something to say to me, you can come to me anywhere. At my house, anywhere. I don’t care. Everybody can talk on TV, but when we’re sitting here opposite each other, nobody says anything to my face.”
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“So for me, I don’t really care what they say. I’m just focused on my performance and the team’s performance and I’ll give everything to this club until the last day.”
In response to the quote, Scholes wrote on Instagram: “Someone had a good game, you were so happy…Tea, no sugar please @lisandromartinezz.”
Tensions between Scholes, Butt, Gary Neville and other pundits are rising as Ruben Amorim’s United side struggle this season. However, Carrick’s appointment as interim head coach had an immediate impact, with goals from Brian Mbeumo and Patrick Dorg securing the three points against City.
Lisandro Martinez wins the battle against Erling Haaland (Image: Getty Images)
That’s what Martinez really wanted to focus on when speaking to reporters. Asked if Scholes’ comments provided further motivation, Martinez replied: “No, nothing. It doesn’t give me anything. My motivation is my family. That’s it.”
He had high praise for Carrick and his staff. “It’s completely different, it’s completely different. The mentality is different, the players are different,” he said of the impact in training this week.
“He knows what this club really means. He sent us a message that he has been here for a long time. He has won everything. He is a great legend. He wants to help the club. I think we were in a difficult situation and today was the best moment to change that.”
Martinez added: “When you have a coach like Michael Carrick, when you have someone who really understands and can share the energy of the club and what it means, things change a lot.”
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