Jason Wilcox faces scrutiny as Martínez row exposes United depth

Senior Manchester United players reportedly share Lisandro Martínez’s concerns about Jason Wilcox’s recruitment and the squad’s lack of depth, turning the defender’s criticism after the 2-0 defeat at Atlético Madrid into a wider dressing-room issue. The Guardian reports that opinion in the squad broadly favours Martínez’s view, though at least one teammate challenged him before the flight back to Manchester. That is reported sentiment, not evidence of a unanimous dressing-room position.

The row has put Wilcox and United’s football structure under fresh scrutiny, with the defender’s public remarks landing amid a poor start to the season. Martínez criticised the club’s investment and ambition in two broadcast interviews after the Champions League loss.

United’s recruitment and squad depth

Martínez criticised recruitment, but accepted player responsibility

Martínez took aim at Wilcox, the director of football, and what he described as “the top” of the club. He said United did not have the best squad compared with other leading sides and argued that the team needed stronger backing to compete.

“I expect more [investment], 100%. I expect more from our technical director [Jason Wilcox]. I have to be honest, as players we have to do more, but it is also important when you make a strong squad to be ready for this kind of night,” Martínez said after the defeat.

The Guardian reports that the comments prompted a challenge from at least one teammate before the squad’s return flight. Martínez did not explicitly name teammates as the problem, instead acknowledging that players had to improve too. He may face internal disciplinary action, but any decision would not be taken before the squad returned to training on Thursday 15 October.

In a social-media statement on Wednesday 14 October, Martínez sought to clarify his position while standing by the substance of his criticism. “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.”

He also said he believed in his teammates, manager and the people working to move United forward, while maintaining that his post-match comments reflected his desire to see the club competing for major honours.

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Squad depth is at the heart of the frustration

Wilcox oversaw £155m of spending in the last window on Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba. The Guardian reports that the decision to bring in three midfielders without reinforcing other areas has puzzled players, particularly given the shortage of cover at left-back.

Luke Shaw is United’s only senior player in that position. The 31-year-old missed the Atlético match with a muscular problem, and his career at Old Trafford has been repeatedly interrupted by injury. The lack of cover has fed the view among players that Michael Carrick has not been given the resources needed to challenge. Luke Shaw’s lack of senior left-back cover

Carrick is under pressure after United’s poor run, but the reported frustration extends beyond the head coach to the hierarchy responsible for recruitment. That distinction matters: Martínez’s intervention has widened the scrutiny around the squad and the people who assembled it, even as at least one teammate objected to how he aired his concerns.

United had taken six points from their first six Premier League matches, the club’s worst league start in 40 years, and had two wins in all competitions after the Atlético defeat. They had also gone out of the Carabao Cup to Brighton after making eight changes. Carrick’s third-place finish last season came after he took over as caretaker in mid-January, with only 17 league games remaining and United already out of the other competitions.

Martínez is out of contract next summer, and The Guardian reports that he is understood to favour a move to an elite European club outside the Premier League. That is not a confirmed decision, but it adds a longer-term question to a dispute already centred on recruitment and squad construction. United’s summer transfer business

The next step is a decision on discipline

United’s immediate decision is whether to discipline Martínez for taking his criticism public. Beyond that, the club must confront the reported gap between players’ expectations, Wilcox’s recruitment approach and the depth Carrick has available; Martínez’s contract situation makes the consequences more than a short-term dressing-room flashpoint.