Jamie Carragher admits he’s now “worried” about Manchester United star who’s regressing under Rúben Amorim

Under Rúben Amorim, many Manchester United players have improved, but there question marks have been raised following their 4-3 loss against Tottenham Hotspur.

Manchester United have crashed out of the Carabao Cup after a chaotic 4-3 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter-finals, leaving Rúben Amorim’s side to return to Manchester empty-handed.

The opening half was a mixed bag for United, who showed flashes of quality but struggled with Tottenham’s relentless pressure. A mistake by Altay Bayındır, who spilled a save, allowed Dominic Solanke to fire the hosts into the lead.

After the break, United’s night worsened as Dejan Kulusevski capitalized on defensive disarray to double Tottenham’s advantage. Solanke then struck again, giving Spurs a commanding 3-0 lead.

However, United fought back with spirit. Bruno Fernandes sparked a comeback, setting up Joshua Zirkzee for a composed finish, before Amad Diallo added a second to make it 3-2 with 20 minutes remaining.

Just as United looked poised to level the game, Son Heung-min scored directly from a corner in controversial fashion, with Bayındır protesting that he was fouled in the process.

Jonny Evans headed home a late goal in stoppage time, but Spurs held firm to seal a thrilling win, leaving Amorim and his players ruing missed opportunities in North London.

Carragher admits he’s “worried” about Martínez

Speaking on Sky Sports following the result, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher admitted that he’s worried about Lisandro Martínez after the United defender was undone several times against Spurs.

Martínez was at fault for the home side’s second and third goals, clearing the ball straight into Kulusevski’s path before failing to defend against Solanke properly as he notched in Tottenham’s third.

“I think a worry for United fans is Lisandro Martinez,” Carragher said. “I didn’t think he’d play well in a back four because he’s small, but he had a really good first season.

“In some ways you’d think he’d be suited to a back three, he can step out on his left foot and he’s got two big defenders next to him. But I don’t think he’s looked as comfortable since Amorim came in. He had a really poor night.”

Martínez is not improving at the same rate as others

Since Amorim’s arrival, Martínez has not quite enjoyed the new-found life that other players have in the last month, as it feels he has somewhat regressed compared to his peak form under Erik ten Hag.

Those such as Harry Maguire, Matthijs de Ligt, and Amad are all flying in their new roles, but Martínez’s performance have been hit and miss.

Against Manchester City, he marshalled Erling Haaland to perfection and delivered a fantastic assist for the winning goal. But just days later against Tottenham, he looked a mess, having been driven all over the place by the home side’s attacking line.

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To a certain extent, he can be given a pass, as the new system is bound to come with teething issues, but it would be wrong to say that Carragher’s comments don’t hold some weight.

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