Man Utd a circus after Martinez comments - Keane

Key points

• Roy Keane called Manchester United 'like a circus' after Lisandro Martinez criticised the club's hierarchy.
• Martinez said he had expected more summer investment and 'more from our technical director' following Tuesday's 2-0 Champions League defeat at Atletico Madrid.
• Gary Neville said senior players would be 'absolutely fuming' with Martinez, comparing the incident to Wayne Rooney's 2010 contract dispute.

Former captain Roy Keane has described Manchester United as 'like a circus' after defender Lisandro Martinez criticised the club's hierarchy. Keane made the comment on The Overlap podcast following Tuesday's 2-0 Champions League defeat by Atletico Madrid.

Martinez, 28, said after the match that he had expected more investment in the squad in the summer and 'more from our technical director'. In a social media post on Wednesday, he said he had spoken out of 'anger and frustration'.

Keane's assessment

Keane said Martinez's statement reflected the overall state of the club. 'I think as a reflection of the club, it's obviously chaos there, like a bit of a circus,' he said.

Keane added that players must first look at themselves before making such comments. He said he did not see Martinez as a senior player at United, describing him as a centre-half who is making lots of mistakes.

I think as a reflection of the club, it's obviously chaos there, like a bit of a circus.

— Roy Keane

Neville's comparison

Former United defender Gary Neville compared the incident to comments made by Wayne Rooney when they were team-mates in 2010. Rooney pulled out of contract talks, saying he had not received 'any of the assurances I was seeking about the future squad', before signing a five-year deal two days later.

Neville said he had a problem with Martinez's comments from a player's perspective, calling them a direct attack on his team-mates. He said senior players such as Harry Maguire or Bruno Fernandes would be 'absolutely fuming' with him.