Man Utd a circus after Martinez comments - Keane

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has characterized the club as "like a circus" in light of defender Lisandro Martinez's recent criticism of the club's hierarchy.

Martinez's remarks followed a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, extending the team's winless streak to five matches.

The Argentina international expressed dissatisfaction with United's lack of squad reinforcement during the summer transfer window after the team qualified for the Champions League. He emphasized the need for increased investment in the squad and articulated his expectations for "more from our technical director [Jason Wilcox]."

During an appearance on The Overlap podcast, Keane pointed out that Martinez's comments reflect the troubling state of the club.

"There will be some fans saying it's great and some saying you're letting the team down, especially from a player who hasn't been at his best when the team is struggling," Keane noted. "I think as a reflection of the club, it's obviously chaos there, like a bit of a circus."

Keane added, "When you're going through a difficult spell like United are, the issue I have with certain players saying things is you always have to start with the man in the mirror before you start coming out with all these comments."

Responding to the backlash, Martinez took to social media on Wednesday stating that his comments stemmed from "anger and frustration."

The 28-year-old's contract is set to expire at the end of the season, although the club holds the option to extend it for an additional year.

"I don't think it will be a big falling-out—because I think we have question marks over this dressing room anyway," Keane remarked. "I don't think there's enough characters—enough men in there—but I don't see him as a senior player at Manchester United. I see him as a centre-half who's making lots of mistakes."

Former United defender Gary Neville likened the incident to comments made by Wayne Rooney when they were teammates in 2010.

"I've got a problem with this from a player's perspective," Neville asserted. "That is a direct attack on the players you are playing with. So if I were Harry Maguire or Bruno Fernandes or any other senior player, I would be absolutely fuming with him because you're basically saying we shouldn't be here and we should be bringing more players in."

Next, United is set to face Leeds United in the Premier League on Sunday.