Man Utd legend hits out at ‘disrespectful’ Redknapp for calling Red Devils star ‘a little boy’

Joe Williams
Man Utd defender Lisandro Martinez
Lisandro Martinez has been criticised by Jamie Redknapp.

Man Utd legend Gary Pallister has hit out at Jamie Redknapp over his “disrespectful” comments towards Lisandro Martinez over the weekend.

The Red Devils were poor as they lost 3-2 to Nottingham Forest on Saturday to fall down the Premier League table to 13th.

Man Utd have now drawn one, won one and lost two of Ruben Amorim’s first four Premier League matches in charge of the club with the unconsistency still remaining after Erik ten Hag’s departure.

Martinez, who has struggled with injuries since joining Man Utd, was criticised by former Liverpool midfielder Redknapp for being “bullied” as Nikola Milenkovic headed Nottingham Forest ahead at Old Trafford.

Redknapp said on Sky Sports on Sunday: “He has to be stronger there. He’s like a little boy there. He just gets bullied. It’s a mismatch, he is trying to block him and its a towering header.”

Ex-Man Utd centre-back Phil Jones also gave his view on the opening goal, he added: “It is a great header, a bullet of a header. But you sense vulnerability from set pieces.

“Martinez is almost too fixated on the man. He’s got the blocking job, he’s too square and is watching the man rather than the ball. Diogo Dalot takes a couple of steps towards the ball and gets caught underneath it. He almost gets sucked underneath the ball.”

MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Ferdinand demands Man Utd sell their ‘s**t’ players in ‘brutal’ rant: ‘Get them the f**k out’
👉 Amorim wants Man Utd to get rid of £350k-a-week duo in January transfer budget ‘boost’
👉 Man Utd ‘nepo baby’ is ‘going around acting the big shot’ and Brailsford’s ‘bag man’

But Pallister thinks it was wrong for Redknapp – who he did not name – to call Martinez a “child” and thought it was a “bit disrespectful” to the Man Utd defender.

Man Utd legend Pallister told MyBettingSites.co.uk: “It’s frustrating with the goals we give away again against Forest. We are very poor, and as a whole team it will take a while for Amorim to find out who he trusts in the team.

“I saw some calling Martinez a child, which I found a bit disrespectful. I understand, he is not looking at the ball, he is more affected to stop his man. You got to watch the ball and be aware of the flight of the ball.

“I never understand when a defender is more focused on marking the man. That is naive defending.

“It´s a difficult one. Amorim is changing the team so much at the moment, which is understandable. He is trying to see all the players he has available.

“We are not seeing the finished product right now, but it´s still the same problems at Man United at the moment. We don´t look together as a team and we have moments of quality but as a team they are lacking.”