Martinez’s scathing assessment will inevitably pile pressure on summer recruits Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos, and Carlos Baleba, all of whom started in the Spanish capital. The overall mood within the camp has been heavily scrutinised lately, with captain Bruno Fernandes’ demeanour also drawing criticism.
Asked about Martinez’s explosive remarks, Tielemans refused to be drawn into the debate. “I have no comment on that,” the midfielder stated. “I don’t know.”
Meanwhile, Santos issued an apology to the travelling supporters while insisting the dressing room remains firmly behind their manager. “I just want to say sorry to everyone that has travelled to Spain,” Santos explained. “Of course, as I have said before, we want to win every single game. Now is time to work hard and come back with victories.”
Backing Carrick, he added: “Of course, we believe in the manager, we believe in our staff, we believe in our players. Like I said before, we are in a bad moment, but we have to work to change this.”
