Manchester United stars claim interview ban after Lisandro Martínez outburst

Manchester United players suggested they had been silenced by the club following Sunday's 1-1 draw at Leeds United. It is standard practice for United players to speak with members of the written press in the mixed zone after matches, particularly following a strong performance. Yet after the game at Elland Road, despite being approached by reporters, Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha stated they weren't permitted to speak. This comes after Lisandro Martínez's controversial TV interview following United's 2-0 UEFA Champions League loss to Atlético Madrid, in which he criticized the club's leadership , including director of football Jason Wilcox, for the club's perceived lack of summer transfer activity. Cristiano Ronaldo delivers brutal Portugal 'ultimatum' after Jorge Jesus 'broke his word' FIFA 'Peace Prize' awarded to Donald Trump may be scrapped amidst Gianni Infantino controversy Martínez, who was fined for the comments, later apologized after reconciliation talks with the club and featured against Leeds. He was backed by traveling United supporters, who chanted "Argentina, Argentina, Argentina" from the away section, before being forced off at halftime with an injury, as per The Mirror . The lack of communication from United players after the Leeds match suggests they have been instructed by the club not to speak to avoid further Martínez-style outbursts. However, it is understood that there had been no explicit directive from the club's media team for players to avoid engaging with written reporters after the game. Harry Maguire spoke to the club's official website after the game. He said: "You can't question the togetherness, the spirit and the fight. This is a tough place to come. Leeds have been flying in the league. "We can be better. We have to show more quality with the ball. When you come to places like this, you can't be beaten on set-plays and we conceded a set-play which got them back in the game. To listen to the latest episode of 'All Out Soccer' - CLICK HERE "Throughout, we felt comfortable in our shape. They didn't create too many chances. To concede a set-piece after half-time is disappointing. We had to dig in. We got a foothold at about 70 minutes and probably looked the more likely to go and win it, but a draw is probably fair." Meanwhile, Michael Carrick claims the performance felt like a "fresh start." The United boss said: "We're not getting too carried away because we haven't won the game. I think if you keep doing the right things for the right reasons, then you get what you deserve in the end." The draw stretched United's winless Premier League streak to five matches – their sole victory came against newly-promoted Ipswich in August – while they have triumphed in just two of their 10 games across all competitions. Not since the conclusion of the 2018-19 season have United gone six games in all competitions without a victory and it is 40 years since they won only one of their first seven top-flight games at the start of a season. Carrick's squad head to Italy to take on Cesc Fabregas's Como on Wednesday in their third Champions League fixture of the campaign, before turning their attention back to Premier League duty on Sunday when AFC Bournemouth visit Old Trafford.