Lisandro Martinez and Scott McTominay were reportedly at the forefront of a fiery exchange after Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag attempted to find answers to the Red Devils’ humbling at the hands of rivals Manchester City in the week.
United found themselves 4-0 down at the Etihad Stadium last weekend and, despite having regained some pride, were still on the harsh end of a 6-3 scoreline - Phil Foden and Erling Haaland both plundering hat-tricks for the hosts.
In an effort to get United back on track ahead of this weekend’s late Sunday showdown with Everton at Goodison Park, Ten Hag turned to members of his squad in order to lay down their own problems.
According to The Sun, that is when the discussions took a fiery turn. It is said that after being called in for an analysis session on Monday, ‘passions boiled over’ as members of the squad staged a heated heart to heart.
Ten Hag apparently asked each individual player to explain their own mistakes during the game to one another. That then led to full-blown arguments at United’s Carrington Training Base with some players blaming others for not pulling their own weight.
It is further suggested that one player in particular told one of his own colleagues to ‘concentrate on your own f****** game’.
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In the meantime, the likes of Martinez and McTominay continued to take aim at their United teammates having been two of the most vocal voices during the post-match fallout. Eventually, tensions at Carrington were settled with Ten Hag actively encouraging the harsh words but sending a message to his side that those attitudes came only too late after the side were humiliated at the Etihad Stadium.
The impassioned discussions did not initially appear to work during the Red Devils’ Europa League showdown with Omonia Nicosia, after they embarrassingly fell behind in Cyprus.
However, a brace from Marcus Rashford and yet another goal from Anthony Martial eventually saw Ten Hag’s men claim victory.
They now attempt to get back on track in the Premier League after their humbling at the hands of their near neighbours. The Red Devils met Merseyside outfit Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday evening - a game that Ten Hag believed that his side would have to be flawless to win.
Speaking ahead of the match, the Dutchman said: “[They are] a real, proper opponent. They are unbeaten over the last six games so it's a tough opponent.
“[They have] good organisation, they are playing with passion, so I like them. We have to be good, we have to be at our best to get the right result: that is a win."
