Lisandro Martínez made headlines earlier this year when he hit back at criticism from Manchester United legend Paul Scholes.
Manchester United had a dreadful campaign last term and it felt like insult to injury when Lisandro Martínez’s season was ended in early February.
The centre-back suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury which he is still recovering from, but at Old Trafford, there is still a spotlight on you even when you’re not playing.
Towards the end of last season, United legend Paul Scholes criticised Martínez and claimed that the Argentine is not good enough if the Reds want to win the Premier League.
Martínez hit back in brutal fashion. In a now-deleted Instagram reply, the defender wrote: “This jinx guy is really hurting. You put him in Argentina, and he wouldn’t survive.”
Much has been made of the negative criticism from United legend on TV in recent years, with the likes of Gary Neville and Roy Keane also regularly slamming their underperforming ex-club.
Martínez finally breaks silence on Scholes criticism
Martínez has received a lot of criticism since his United arrival in 2022 despite being one of the best performers when on the pitch. Injuries have been his biggest issue.
Yet, there was major scrutiny around his height which was led by Jamie Carragher, and Scholes’ criticism of the defender was also clear.
In a new interview with Argentine journalist Juan Pablo Varsky, the United defender explained how he laughs at the criticism and instead focuses on the more important things in life.
“I think you always have two options. I always say the same thing, you have two options,” Martínez explained on Varsky’s YouTube channel.
“One, you either get angry and give more power to the one who spoke or the second is you laugh, you take it from whoever comes and you go ahead.
“You show what you are every weekend and enjoy it. I myself know what it cost me to get there. So, I prefer to have a Mate with my wife, enjoy life and make video calls to my parents.
“That you have to spend all of your energy on what the other person is doing… Imagine if I have to think about what others day about me.
“Obviously, if you criticise me, fine, welcome, because through criticism one improves… the problem is that they also don’t realise that many people follow them and those people end up thinking the same because they follow it.”
When will Martínez return from injury?
Meanwhile, Martínez is also attempting to make a return to the pitch for United as soon as possible and he is making good progress in his recovery.
Although Martínez was initially expected to be out until November, reports from last month indicate that he is now on track to rejoin Manchester United’s first-team squad during pre-season.
There is increasing optimism that he could return to action by September. With the first weekend of that month coinciding with an international break, the club is now aiming for Martínez to make his comeback around the weekend of 13 September — nearly two months ahead of schedule.
Early concerns about a potential lack of quality on the left side of defence in Martínez’s absence have been eased by the impressive rise of Ayden Heaven.
Heaven’s breakthrough, along with Leny Yoro’s growing influence, means United won’t feel pressured to accelerate Martínez’s return. Instead, the Argentine can be eased back into competitive action gradually.
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