Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick will face the media this afternoon and he will be quizzed on Lisandro Martinez's comments.

Michael Carrick had a convenient shield to protect him on Tuesday night when asked about Lisandro Martinez's comments. Moments before he sat down in the press conference room at the Metropolitano, Carrick's centre-back had told Amazon Prime how disappointed he was with Manchester United's summer transfer business.

"I need to find out a bit more about it before I can say if and what is going to be done," he said. "I really can't comment any further because I haven't seen it."

It was a fair response moments after the interview had been broadcast to the world. However, everyone knows that answer won't cut it today when the question is posed again.

Had Martinez not apologised for his comments on Thursday evening, Carrick would have been left in an even more difficult position.

Since he returned to the club at the start of the year, Carrick has done a great job of answering questions on the ownership and the club's hierarchy in a very diplomatic way. When United fans were set to protest before the Fulham match last season, the interim head coach spoke of the importance of the supporters and how he fully appreciated their support - but he did not pick a side.

When questions were raised as to whether or not he had been sufficiently backed in the transfer window, Carrick again dodged the issue. He insisted he was happy with the quality of the players signed, but refused to comment on whether more should have followed them.

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But Martinez almost forced Carrick to show his hand. The defender brought this issue into the spotlight and, for the first time since returning to Old Trafford, he nearly had to pick a side.

Now Martinez has apologised, it makes Carrick's life easier. You would expect the head coach to back the club and the player simultaneously. Carrick can now praise Martinez's passion, before backing the club's decision to take action and then drawing a line in the sand.

However, none of that deflects from the fact that what Martinez said on Tuesday was right. United did need more reinforcements. A left-back was on the wishlist in the summer but having concentrated solely on midfield, the Reds missed out on one. A striker was also a priority because Benjamin Sesko had no cover. Again, that transfer was not completed.

The majority of United fans have welcomed Martinez's comments - if only for what he said rather than the timing. So Carrick still has to walk a bit of a tightrope. Side with those in the boardroom and the head coach could risk backlash from fans.

For the time being, Carrick has been saved from a tricky press conference. Martinez's apology has given Carrick a platform to once again brush off questions about the growing resentment towards the board.

But United and Carrick are not out of the woods. It has never been more crucial for the Reds to pick up a win. If they don't on Sunday, the pressure builds even more on the head coach and those above him.

It remains to be seen whether Martinez's outburst and subsequent apology are the end of the dressing room unrest or merely the beginning.