EPL: Danny Murphy names Man United star who may not play again under Carrick

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has criticised Lisandro Martinez following his dismissal in Manchester United’s 2-0 defeat to Chelsea, describing the Argentine defender as an increasing liability.

Murphy also suggested that Martinez could struggle to regain his place in the starting lineup after completing his suspension, believing interim manager Michael Carrick may be reluctant to bring him back into the team.

Manchester United suffered another disappointing result at Stamford Bridge, where goals from Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer secured victory for Chelsea. Rogers opened the scoring shortly after half-time before Martinez received a second yellow card and was sent off in the 63rd minute.

Chelsea capitalised on their numerical advantage, with Palmer converting the resulting penalty to make it 2-0. The Blues controlled the remainder of the match to secure three points and move into fourth place in the Premier League table.

The defeat also extended United’s winless run in all competitions to nine matches, increasing the uncertainty surrounding Carrick’s position. Meanwhile, Martinez’s dismissal added to a difficult campaign for the defender, who had also attracted attention for publicly criticising the club’s hierarchy the previous month.

Speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day, Murphy was asked whether calling Martinez a liability was too harsh. He replied: “It’s getting that way. A player of that experience and quality, he knows better.” He also suggested that something was affecting the defender’s performances, saying: “There’s something obviously not right at the moment in his head, he’s in a different space, because you don’t see the poor performances for a player of that quality.”

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Murphy further questioned whether Martinez would return to United’s starting lineup after serving his suspension. “When he’s served the suspension, I think it’s unlikely that Michael, if he’s still the manager, is going to put him back in,” he concluded. The defender’s latest red card has therefore raised further questions about his future role in the team.