Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has responded to Lisandro Martinez hitting back at him after comments made before the Manchester Derby.
Before Michael Carrick’s first game back in charge of Manchester United, hope for the rest of the season was dwindling. Despite low expectations for the game, Carrick’s side produced a dominant display over their bitter rivals, winning 2-0.
Since the dismantling of Manchester City last weekend, the tide has turned and the mood around the club has been lifted. Many predicted City to wipe the floor with United but they were proved very wrong. Pep Guardiola’s side were beaten in every aspect of the game and a 2-0 scoreline does not do United’s performance justice.
Like many fans, ex-players have expressed their opinions and concerns over the club’s ownership, management and squad. Most notably, United legends Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt were vocal about their fears for when United were to face their city rivals.
Speaking on their podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Football, the pair joked about possible outcomes for the match and even mocked some United players, most notably Lisandro Martinez. The Argentine would face the dangerous Erling Haaland again, which Scholes and Butt saw as a physical mismatch.
Insulting jokes made about Martinez, like comparing him to a toddler, offended United’s centre-back, leading him to hit back at the pair after a dominant performance in the derby. This back and forth has ignited a feud between Martinez and Scholes, in particular, and it is showing no signs of any reconciliation.
Scholes and Butt feud with Martinez
United’s performance exceeded many people’s expectations and one standout performer was Lisandro Martinez. United’s number six was as fired up as always and got the better of Erling Haaland. Martinez displayed his fiery personality off the pitch after the victory, sending a message to Paul Scholes in a post-match interview.
Martinez said: “Honestly, he can say whatever he wants.”
“I’ve told him already, if he wants to say something to me, he can come to wherever he wants. To my house, wherever. I don’t care.”
These comments received a lot of support from the fanbase, with many siding against the stars of the ‘Class of ’92’.
On the next episode of The Good, The Bad & The Football, Scholes and Butt were full of praise for United and acknowledged Martinez’ performance. However, the pair were unimpressed by his post-match comments and Nicky Butt told Martinez to “grow up.”
Scholes refuses to apologise
After a week of tension, United look ahead to a tough game against Arsenal on Sunday. The league leaders come into the game as favourites but Carrick’s team will feel confident after last weekend.
Ahead of the next round of fixtures, a new installment of The Overlap Fan Debate has arrived. A usual pundit on the show, Paul Scholes, shared his opinions and thoughts around the Premier League alongside Jamie Carragher.
A topic that came up was Scholes’ scuffle with Martinez and he refused to apologise for the comments he and Nicky Butt made before the match. The pair have acknowledged the Argentine’s positive performance but have also doubled down on their criticism surrounding the defender.
Read more: Manchester United respond to Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes after Lisandro Martínez comments
Scholes said: “Do you know what? What we said probably wasn’t great when you look back.”
He also went on to say, “no, I’m not apologising for it, no.
“I’m just saying, the thing we were trying to say was, look, we thought. It still is. Physically, it’s a mismatch.”
“Look, the way we described it probably wasn’t great and we probably shouldn’t have done that, but still, it was.
“He’s had one good game as well.”
Whilst many would argue that Martinez has regularly performed to a high level in a United shirt, Scholes and Butt’s opinions haven’t changed. A positive run of form for United will require Martinez at his best and many fans are excited after the Argentine showcased his quality against the best striker in the world. United are now preparing for an important game against Arsenal this weekend and hopefully they can finish the season strong.
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