Lisandro Martinez’s explosive interview after the Atletico Madrid defeat has dominated conversation at Old Trafford.

Around 24 hours later, he posted a lengthy Instagram statement, writing, “After the match, I spoke out of anger and frustration at not getting the result we all wanted.”

He added, “My words reflect how I feel and how much I want to see this club competing for the biggest honours”, an explanation rather than an apology.

He also insisted, “I believe in my teammates, our manager and everyone working to help this club move forward.”

United have yet to decide on discipline, though club sources say a fine is expected, and there is no internal pressure on Jason Wilcox.

Roy Keane and Gary Neville differ on Lisandro Martinez incident

Roy Keane and Gary Neville have now taken opposing views on Martinez’s actions on The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast on YouTube.

Keane asked, “What right have we got to say what a player should and shouldn’t say?”

He added, “I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, but I’m just saying that’s what players do.

“He comes out with the right [to do] it on the TV, live after games; they’re going to do it on social media.

“Who are we to say what players can and can’t say?”

“There will be some fans saying it’s great; there will be other fans saying you’re letting the team down, particularly a player who’s not been at his very best.

“The team is struggling, he’s only played 80 games himself.”

“I don’t see the benefits, but also I look the other way and go, ‘If a player wants to get something off his chest, who are we to sit there and go players can’t say [it]?’ Because the modern player, if they don’t do it on the TV, they’ll do it through different avenues, social media, through their agents.”

Keane knows the territory better than most, having left United in November 2005 after a withering attack on his teammates on MUTV, an interview that was never broadcast.

Neville, who played alongside Keane, took the opposite line.

“Now, obviously, he was talking about the club’s ambition to sign new players,” he said.

“That is a direct attack on the players that you’re playing with.

“So, when Martinez says they should have brought more players in, he’s directly attacking his teammates.”

“If I was a player this morning, if I was Bruno Fernandes and I was Harry Maguire and the other senior players, I’d be absolutely fuming with him because he’s basically saying that some of us shouldn’t be here and we should be bringing more players in.”

He compared it with Wayne Rooney’s statement in October 2010, which questioned the club’s ambition in the transfer market before he signed a new contract.

“Wayne Rooney made a statement back in 2010 where he said that basically the club weren’t ambitious enough around signing players,” Neville explained.

“To me, that is a direct criticism of his teammates, saying that they’re not good enough because they should be signing more players. So, when Lisandro Martinez says… So, I’ve got a problem with it from a player’s perspective.”

“We made, to be fair, me and Giggsy spoke with Wazza the morning after and he apologised to all the players and he apologised publicly because we said, ‘Why are we not good enough in the dressing room? Do you not think we’re good enough to win the league?’”

With Martinez’s contract expiring next summer, the debate looks unlikely to disappear.