Manchester United will face Leeds on Sunday, Oct. 18 after a week of controversy surrounding one of its most important players.
Lisandro Martinez issued an apology on Thursday, Oct. 15 after his explosive remarks criticizing the club's hierarchyearlier in the week.
"Today I met with the club's leadership and the manager," the Argentina international said in a social media post.
"It was a very positive conversation, where we were able to exchange views and speak openly about what happened after Tuesday's game.
"Everyone knows that I am a passionate person and that I live football with great intensity.
"The frustration of the defeat led me to express how I felt at a time and place that perhaps were not the right ones, and for that I want to apologize."
According to the BBC, Martinez was fined for his remarks.
What did Lisandro Martinez say?
The Argentine defender made headlines in the wake of United's 2-0 loss to Atlético Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
In multiple interviews after the game, the defender expressed his view that United's hierarchy hadn't done enough to improve the squad in the summer.
"I expect more (investment), 100 percent," he told Prime Video. "I expect more from our technical director (Jason Wilcox). I have to be honest, as players we have to do more, but it is also important when you make a strong squad to be ready for this kind of night."
Martinez later added to CBS Sports: "We have many games and we have to rotate players and for me we don’t have the best squad at the moment compared with other top teams. But also as a club I expect more. I’m not going to close my mouth. We need more ambition."Amid a firestorm surrounding his comments, Martinez released a statement on Instagram late on Wednesday, Oct. 14. In it, he said he "spoke out of anger and frustration" but did not walk back the comments or apologize.
Manchester United enters Sunday's game at Elland Road on a five-game winless run. The club's only victories this season have come against Azerbaijani side Sabah in the Champions League and Ipswich in the Premier League.
Will Lisandro Martinez play vs Leeds?
In his pre-match press conference, Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick confirmed Martinez would be in the squad for the match at Leeds.
"He's part of the squad," Carrick said on Friday, Oct. 16. “He’s released his statement and realized he made a mistake. That’s enough for us to move on with.”
Carrick did not say whether Martinez would start.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why did Lisandro Martinez apologize? Manchester United controversy explained
