Former Manchester United stars Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt have been accused of getting “personal” with Lisandro Martinez after Manchester United’s 2-0 victory over local rivals City.
Rio Ferdinand gave the verdict (Image: Rio Ferdinand Presents)
Rio Ferdinand has accused former Manchester United teammates Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt of crossing the line by criticizing Lisandro Martinez “personally”. The defender was taunted by Scholes and Butt in the build-up to Saturday’s Manchester derby.
“(Erling) Haaland will score and put him (Martinez) in the net,” Scholes joked. Butt quipped, “If Haaland sees a dad running down the street with his toddler at school, he picks up Martinez and runs with him.”
The 28-year-old Martinez ended up keeping a clean sheet as United won 2-0, with Haaland coming on as a second-half substitute but adding to the glory with an anonymous performance. After the match, the Argentina international said he was “not concerned” about Scholes and Butt’s comments and had invited them to his home to discuss the matter directly.
The two responded, with Butt telling Martinez to “get more excited” on his podcast, The Good, the Bad and the Football. Scholes, who said he had exchanged messages with Martinez before but had not heard from him since he gave him his number, added: “He’s had some great matches, but when he starts talking or yelling, he has a habit of coming to these matches and throwing back insults.”
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Mr. Ferdinand took note of their comments. “This is not beef. I think it’s being disguised as beef,” he began on Rio Ferdinand Presents. “I think there were some personal things that probably crossed the line a little bit this week.
“I’ve spoken to Martinez a few times, both in person and online, and you know what? He’s a guy who just wants to do well, he just wants to win, he just wants to get back to the standards he had when he was at Man United.
“He’s eager to understand what it’s like. He’s invited me to come to the practice range, go get coffee, just to sit down.”
“I think he’s a sponge. He wants to work, he wants to learn. I think the way he plays is just who he is. He has an honest personality and feels like the right type of person to be in the locker room. That’s what I’ve heard from people on the field.”
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Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt made headlines (Image: DARREN STAPLES/AFP via Getty Images)
“If something gets on his nerves and he says it publicly, I think he’s within his rights. I think that perception is probably a little out of context.
“I don’t think he’s saying, ‘Listen, you’re going to come see me anywhere and we’re going to shed tears.’ I think he’s saying, ‘Come on, let’s talk. Let’s talk face to face. If you have a problem, let’s talk.'”
“I think he’s as straightforward a guy as you want. Keep in mind, we’re talking about a World Cup winner here, so he knows how to win. I had a conversation with him after the game and I think he said very quickly and clearly: ‘We already have standards, we need to gather momentum.’
Lisandro Martinez gave a speech on the pitch (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
“For someone who speaks a second language, he was on point with what he said. He always wanted to talk to people and was always open to it.
“What I’m saying is, if you’re talking about someone and you feel like you can say the same thing in front of them, and you can stand up and say it in front of them, then I think that’s fair.”
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