Man United icon Paul Scholes refuses to back down as row with Lisandro Martinez rumbles on | OneFootball

Paul Scholes has stood firm on his critical assessment of Lisandro Martinez, refusing to issue an apology to the Manchester United defender despite acknowledging his initial remarks "weren’t great".

The former United midfielder, alongside ex-teammate Nicky Butt, sparked controversy on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast by suggesting Manchester City striker Erling Haaland would easily overpower Martinez due to their size difference.

This prompted a direct challenge from Martinez after United’s 2-0 victory over City, where he called for Scholes to address him face-to-face.

Revisiting the incident on Sky Bet’s The Overlap Fan Debate, Scholes quipped, "I didn’t realise I had so many Argentinian friends."

He then elaborated on his position: "Look, what we said probably wasn’t great when you look back. I’m not apologising for it. The thing we were trying to say was what we thought and still is, physically, it’s a mismatch, but the way we described probably it wasn’t great and probably shouldn’t have done that."

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Scholes and Butt poked fun at Martinez before last weekend’s Manchester derby (Martin Rickett/PA) (PA Archive)

Scholes expressed hope that Martinez would prove him wrong, but pointed to previous performances. "He’s had one good game though," he stated.

"I hope to God he proves me wrong, but look at the week before against Brighton and Danny Welbeck. Look at the week before that against Burnley. He gave the goal away against Burnley. We probably worded it not in a great way and I hope he proves me wrong. He had a great game against City, he was brilliant and we have got to see that now again for the rest of the season."

Addressing the fallout from his comments, Scholes acknowledged the "backlash" and "toxicity" directed at him and Butt.

"It’s not something we like doing. We obviously want to see the team winning every single week," he said, adding, "I think it’s more so now than it ever has been that people are speaking their mind and you’ve got to deal with it."

Shifting his focus to the managerial situation, Scholes predicted that former teammate Michael Carrick could be a long-term contender for the United job if he secures a top-four finish.

He noted that Carrick "didn’t do a lot that was unexpected and he got a little bit lucky he had a couple of players back from the African Cup of Nations, which made a difference."

Scholes also praised Harry Maguire’s performance alongside Martinez, but cautioned against fan expectations. "Harry Maguire, I thought he was good next to Martinez as well, but the trouble is…now, you almost have a rod for your own back.

“If he does really well until the end of the season like Ole (Gunnar Solskjaer), United fans will demand it. What will they need to do for the United fans to demand him staying for next year? Now, I don’t think it should happen and will they learn their lesson with the Ole thing? Will they be a bit scarred but you know what it’s like if he gets second or third."