Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has downplayed questions over Lisandro Martínez's failure to directly apologise to the club's director of football, Jason Wilcox, following the defender's pointed criticism after Tuesday's Champions League defeat to Atlético Madrid.

Martínez had singled out Wilcox by name in the aftermath of the 2-0 loss in Madrid, stating he expected more from the club's technical director in terms of squad investment. Two days later, the Argentine centre-back issued a statement of apology, though it stopped short of naming Wilcox or retracting his underlying message about the need for reinforcements. "The frustration of the defeat led me to express how I felt at a time and place that perhaps were not the right ones, and for that I want to apologise," Martínez said.

Speaking ahead of United's Premier League trip to Leeds, Carrick was asked directly whether he admired Martínez for stopping short of a personal apology to Wilcox. The manager suggested the matter had already been put to rest internally. "He's released his statement, he's realised he's made a mistake and that's enough for all of us to move on with," Carrick said.

When pushed further on whether a more complete apology—addressing both Wilcox personally and the substance of the investment comments—would have been preferable, Carrick maintained that the club considered the issue closed. "From our point of view, the acknowledgment of what's been done has certainly been enough, we've moved on and we're definitely not looking back at it now," he said.

The United boss confirmed Martínez remains available for selection at Elland Road, where his side arrive under mounting pressure having collected just six points from their opening six league fixtures this season. United's difficult start has also included a Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Brighton and a mixed beginning to their Champions League campaign, with one win alongside the defeat in Madrid.

Asked whether Martínez's outburst represented an unwelcome distraction that had frustrated him personally, Carrick instead framed it as a byproduct of passion within the squad. "No, I understand emotion at times," he said. "We ask for passion, we ask for emotion, we ask for fire and we ask for players to care. There's a way of doing that, and that's already been acknowledged, but we need to carry that intensity and that willingness and that togetherness and that spirit. As a group, we need to use it, and we've got to use it in the right way."

The episode had prompted strong reaction from outside the club, including from United's all-time leading goalscorer Wayne Rooney, who warned that Martínez's comments risked dividing the dressing room. Carrick, however, suggested the opposite had occurred, pointing to his team's response after falling behind inside the opening minute in Madrid as evidence of unity. "It's one of the toughest places to play in the Champions League, so to go a goal down so early, and the way we responded shows an underlying belief and spirit and a togetherness," he explained.

Carrick went further, suggesting that the week's events—both on and off the pitch—had strengthened cohesion within the squad rather than fractured it. "Certain situations can galvanise the group, and it's certainly galvanised the group as this week's progressed. The boys are in a really good place right now," he said.

Responding to scepticism from former players about the genuine state of harmony at the club, Carrick was adamant that outside observers lacked insight into the dressing room atmosphere. "There's a lot of people that say a lot of things, and ex-pros or not ex-pros, it doesn't necessarily mean you understand what's going on here," he said. "I'm telling you the truth. The squad today was in a fantastic place, better than I've seen it for a while."

Carrick also provided an injury update ahead of the Leeds fixture, confirming that both Luke Shaw and Kobbie Mainoo would undergo fitness tests before a final decision on their availability.

Based on reporting from Guardian Football.