Overview
- Before the Manchester derby, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt joked on their podcast that Erling Haaland would pick up Lisandro Martínez and run with him, then throw him in the net.
- Martínez answered on the pitch with a strong display in a 2-0 win over Manchester City at Old Trafford under interim manager Michael Carrick, helping keep Haaland quiet for a clean sheet.
- Post-match, Martínez invited the former teammates to speak to him directly, saying they could come to him anywhere, even at his home.
- Responding on their podcast, Scholes and Butt called their comments tongue-in-cheek, told Martínez to “grow up,” and Butt said a player who reacts that way “shouldn’t be at a big club”; Scholes also referenced prior DMs and posted a teasing Instagram story.
- Scholes praised the performance but maintained doubts United can win a league with Martínez, and multiple outlets framed the back-and-forth as part of ongoing friction between club legends and the current team.