Manchester United didn’t issue an official club statement, but the club is reportedly unhappy with the pre-derby comments made by legends Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt about Lisandro Martinez. Sources say they viewed the remarks as more of a mockery of the defender’s height rather than genuine, constructive analysis.
The drama kicked off ahead of the Manchester derby (which United won convincingly 2-0 at Old Trafford under new interim boss Michael Carrick). On their podcast The Good, The Bad and The Football, Scholes and Butt joked about how Erling Haaland (6ft 5in) would overpower the 5ft 9in Martinez:
- Butt said Haaland would “pick Martinez up and run with him” like a dad chasing a toddler after school.
- Scholes piled on, imagining Haaland scoring and then “throwing him in the net.”
Well, Martinez had the perfect response on the pitch — he helped shut Haaland down completely (the Norwegian was subbed off in the 80th minute), kept a clean sheet, and played a key role in the big win.
Manchester United secured a 2-0 victory over Manchester City on Saturday in Michael Carrick’s first match in charge after Ruben Amorim’s dismissal. Bryan Mbeumo, back in the starting lineup following his Africa Cup of Nations duty with Cameroon, broke the deadlock in the 65th minute, before Patrick Dorgu sealed the win 11 minutes later.
Manchester United fully deserved the win, as Carrick’s side were the better team and outplayed Pep Guardiola’s men at Old Trafford.
Ahead of the match, former United stars Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt made light of the matchup between Lisandro Martinez and Erling Haaland — a duel the City striker barely got involved in during the derby.
Butt and Scholes both took jabs at Martinez, poking fun at his height.
Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Butt joked that Haaland would have it easy against Martinez, comparing it to a dad running down the road with his young child after school.
Scholes had joked, “He’d score, then throw him in the net!”
But Martinez proved the critics wrong, not only containing Haaland but also helping Manchester United keep a clean sheet. When asked about Scholes’ pre-match comments, the Argentine shrugged it off, saying, “Honestly, he can say whatever he wants.”
“I’ve already told him that if he wants to say something, he can come to me—my house, anywhere. I don’t mind.
I get that people want to support the club and talk on TV, but when it comes to saying it face-to-face, no one really does.”
When asked if the comments fired him up, the little defender shrugged it off, saying, “Not really. It doesn’t affect me. My motivation comes from my family, and that’s all that matters.”
ESPN reports that Manchester United aren’t happy with Scholes and Butt’s comments about Martinez, feeling they were more about teasing him than offering any useful insight.
The former players have been back at Old Trafford recently, even sitting in the directors’ box with Sir Alex Ferguson during United’s 2-1 FA Cup loss to Brighton a game Martinez played in. It’s still unclear if they’ll be welcomed back after their latest jabs at the Red Devils’ star.
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