Martinez available for Leeds trip after apology, Manchester United manager Carrick says

Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez is available for Sunday’s Premier League match at Leeds United after the club accepted his apology for criticising its transfer policy, manager Michael Carrick said on Friday, 16 October. Carrick said Martinez was part of the squad, though he did not say whether the defender would start or play.

Martinez had called for more signings after United’s 2-0 Champions League defeat by Atletico Madrid on Tuesday and singled out director of football Jason Wilcox, Reuters reported. He met Carrick and senior club officials on Thursday, then apologised for making the comments after the match.

What Carrick said about Martinez’s Leeds availability

Carrick said he understood the emotion behind the remarks and wanted players to show passion, but said it had to be expressed in the right way. He also said the squad had trained well and was in good spirits ahead of the Leeds match. The National separately reported his description of the discussion with Martinez and club officials as straightforward.

Martinez’s apology and United’s league position

In an Instagram statement quoted by The National, Martinez said his meeting with the club’s leadership and Carrick had been a ‘very positive conversation’ in which they exchanged views. He said frustration after the Atletico defeat had led him to express his feelings at a time and place that ‘perhaps were not the right ones’, and apologised. His explanation followed earlier NewsJaws coverage of why he criticised United.

United go to seventh-placed Leeds seeking their first victory in more than a month, Reuters reported. They are 13th in the league after winning one of their opening six matches, a start Reuters described as their worst in 40 years. Carrick, appointed permanently in May after overseeing a revival last season, said results mattered to the whole club, rather than to any one player.