Scholes and Butt raise the stakes against Lisandro Martínez | OneFootball

The verbal war between Paul Scholes and Lisandro Martínez added a new chapter after the Manchester derby. Despite United's convincing 2-0 victory over City, the Red Devils legend once again targeted the Argentine defender, this time joined by Nicky Butt, with statements that reignited the controversy.

Before the derby, Scholes and Butt mocked Martínez's physique and claimed that Erling Haaland would "pick him up and run with him," while also calling for the return of Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire. However, the course of the match was completely opposite: Licha was one of the standout figures, nullified the Norwegian—who failed to shoot on goal—and received all the applause from Old Trafford.

After the match, the world champion responded both on and off the field. First with ironic gestures towards the critics and then with direct statements: "He can say whatever he wants. If he wants to tell me something, he can come anywhere," the Argentine declared, not shying away from the confrontation.

Far from lowering the tone, Scholes doubled down on social media and later in public statements. "When someone gets so angry about something said in the media… damn, grow up," Butt shot back, while the former midfielder added that "if what they say affects you, you shouldn't play for a big club."

Nonetheless, even Scholes had to acknowledge the defender's performance: he described his game as "brilliant" and even suggested, with irony, that the criticism might have been part of the motivation. "This game tends to bite you in the ass when you talk too much," he concluded.

It's not the first time the Redhead has targeted Lisandro Martínez. He had already questioned him even after a serious injury, claiming that "he's not good enough to win the Premier League," a statement the Argentine responded to without holding back. This time, once again, Licha chose the same path: to answer where it hurts the most, on the field.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.