Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez has taken aim at club icon Paul Scholes after helping his team register a notable 2-0 Premier League win over rivals Manchester City this Saturday, Jan. 17.
But why has the player chosen to call out the Red Devils great?
Manchester United Ace Reacts to Paul Scholes’ Criticism
Ahead of Manchester United’s latest win at Old Trafford, Scholes and Red Devils great Nicky Butt questioned Martinez’s defensive nous on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast.
“Martinez against (Erling) Haaland… You need (Matthijs) De Ligt and (Harry) Maguire back for that,” Scholes said. He also asserted that Manchester City forward Erling Haaland could score and throw Martinez, who is 5 feet and 9 inches tall, into the back of the net.
Butt also echoed a similar sentiment as he joked that Haaland would “pick Martinez up and run with him” on Saturday. He also added, “It’ll be like you know when you see a dad after school running down the road with a little toddler.”
After the end of the Red Devils’ 2-0 victory over Pep Guardiola’s outfit, Martinez was asked to provide his honest thoughts on Scholes’ pre-match remarks. He insisted that the United legend’s comments had no effect on his recent performance against Manchester City.
“Honestly, he can say whatever he wants. I 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,” Martinez responded to a reporter. “And I think for me, I respect the relations when they want to help the club because everyone can talk on the television,” he added.
Martinez, who was crucial to Manchester United’s third league clean sheet of the campaign, concluded, “But, when you sit here face to face, no one says anything in your face. So, for me, I don’t really care what they (pundits) say. I just put the focus on my performance, the performance of the team and I give everything to this club until my last day.”
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Asked if Scholes’ recent remarks had given him additional motivation for the derby, the ex-Ajax centre-back replied, “No, nothing. It doesn’t give me anything. My motivation is my family. That’s it.”
Martinez, 28, has made 11 appearances across all competitions for Manchester United since recovering from a lengthy anterior cruciate ligament injury in November. He is next likely to start the Red Devils’ away Premier League clash at Arsenal on Sunday, Jan. 25.
