Tim Cahill has criticised Michael Carrick’s decision to start Lisandro Martinez in Manchester United’s 1-1 draw with Leeds, insisting the manager should have ‘made an example’ of the defender by leaving him out.

Martinez took aim at United’s hierarchy in the aftermath of the side’s Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid in midweek, publicly questioning the club’s apparent inactivity in the transfer market under technical director Jason Wilcox.

The stunning outburst came after the Red Devils splashed out around £155million to bolster their midfield options with the addition of Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba in the summer.

However, United’s failure to strengthen at centre-forward and at left-back has been heavily scrutinised by fans and pundits alike and the club’s disappointing start has done little to dampen feelings of an early-season crisis at Old Trafford.

Two days on from his explosive rant, Martinez took to social media to issue an apology for his remarks while confirming that he had voiced his concerns ‘openly’ during a private conversation with Carrick and members of United’s leadership team.

And while Martinez was punished for his comments with an internal fine, the World Cup-winning Argentina international held onto his place in Carrick’s starting XI for the side’s trip to Elland Road this weekend.

Addressing Carrick’s decision to keep faith with Martinez during beIN SPORTS’ pre-match coverage, ex-Everton midfielder Cahill said: ‘We played against Michael Carrick, he was a really nice player and a great guy.

‘He’s been put in a situation and he even said that he’d never say no to Manchester United.

‘But once he’s taken on that responsibility, he has to be accountable for the role and he also has to step out of that comfort zone and make an example of Martinez.

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‘What he’s saying is clear: Martinez has done it so the next one, if you do it, you’ll play and you can do it.

‘Players now, they’re not silly, they have the power. But there’s not enough strong characters within that changing room to say, “Hey, you’re marking against Dominic Solanke so focus on that!”

‘Analysis goes back a long, long way so when a player points fingers at the management, points fingers at the signings, you’ve got to make sure that your house is in order.

‘There are issues throughout the whole club but collectively, that’s an in-house meeting where they say, “Martinez, I’m sorry, you’re fined two weeks wages and we’ll play with the kids if we have to because this is Manchester United and you’re not bigger than the club.”‘

Former Liverpool midfielder Jason McAteer echoed Cahill’s comments, arguing that Carrick has missed a golden opportunity to show the squad who was boss.

‘If I was Michael Carrick, for me, that is a great opportunity to say to world, to say to the fans: I’m in charge of this football club, I’m the manager, I’m going to take him out of the team and disciple him,’ McAteer said.

‘He’s got options. He can play [Leny] Yoro at centre-half, [Matthijs] de Ligt is just coming back, he can throw him in if he wants to, he’s on the bench today.

‘So he’s got options, it’s not like he’s down to the bare bones and can’t take him out.

‘Make that statement. Make that statement: this does not happen at this football club.

‘Tim [Cahill] mentioned Sir Alex Ferguson before… no way would you do that with him.’

In the end, Martinez lasted only 45 minutes of United’s clash with Leeds, with Noussair Mazraoui sent on in his place at the halfway stage in west Yorkshire.

The visitors had looked to be heading for only their second victory of the top-flight campaign as Bryan Mbeumo directed home Tielemans’ cross with ten minutes remaining of the first period.

But Dominic Calvert-Lewin cancelled out Mbeumo’s strike shortly after the break and the two bitter rivals had to settle for a point apiece.