Jamie Carragher rips into 'out of order' Lisandro Martinez after Man Utd star attacks club hierarchy in explosive interview

Michael Carrick’s side endured a miserable evening in Spain, falling to a 2-0 defeat against Atletico Madrid. However, the real drama unfolded after the final whistle. Martinez delivered a scathing assessment of Manchester United’s summer transfer strategy, arguing the squad was left lacking for Carrick's first full campaign at the helm.

The Argentina defender directed specific frustration towards director of football Jason Wilcox, stating he expects more from the executive. While a section of the club's fanbase praised the centre-back for his blunt honesty, prominent pundits took a completely different view of the outburst.

Speaking on CBS Sports, Carragher did not hold back in his assessment of the United centre-back. The former Liverpool defender insisted that going public with internal grievances helps nobody, despite the predictable positive reaction from disillusioned supporters.

"Doesn't do anybody any good at all, and they (the quotes) will be the story now for the next few days, all about this," Carragher stated. "Every set of supporters don't like the suits, the guys upstairs, so United fans will lap this up and think it's great.

"I think it's awful that he's come out and said that right now, I do. When he's saying they had a fantastic season last season, they didn't. A manager got sacked last season. Sacked.

"They finished third because they had no cup games, they weren't in Europe, got knocked out the cup competitions very early. Man United third. The reason they finished third is because Liverpool and Chelsea were that bad as well."

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney echoed those sentiments, labelling the defender's outburst as "disrespectful" to the club.

The crux of United's current transfer paralysis stems from years of chronic overspending without consistent Champions League football. Carragher pointed out that the squad has continually underachieved across multiple managerial eras, leaving current funds tied up in past debts rather than fresh arrivals.

"Now we're seeing the real Manchester United this season," Carragher continued. "The reason why they didn't buy players in the summer is because the last four or five years since Martinez has been there, I think they've been in the Champions League once - this season (sic).

"So if every season you don't get Champions League money and every season Manchester United are spending £200million in the transfer market, sooner or later it has to stop because the money's not there.

"So this summer, the money Manchester United are paying out, it's for players they bought years ago, the next instalment of it. That's why there isn't that money there, you can't just keep going with it. Because there's a squad of players with different managers, they haven't achieved anything. They've been awful, awful again tonight."

Carragher concluded by turning the spotlight onto Martinez's own form, saying: "And him as well when he's talking about the start of this season - I think he's a good player, by the way, he's a World Cup winner, I get that - he's had an awful start to the season. Awful, really poor. People will lap it up, Manchester United fans will, that doesn't nobody any good at all... This will just be the talk of the town now. This will blow up, explode and I think he's out of order."

In an attempt to defuse the brewing crisis, Carrick dismissed his defender's post-match rant as a simple case of emotions running high in the heat of the moment. The United boss will now be desperate to shift focus away from boardroom politics and back onto immediate on-pitch matters.

The Red Devils must regroup rapidly before a volatile Premier League trip to Elland Road on Sunday. A strong performance against rivals Leeds United is essential to quiet the noise and steady a fractured dressing room.