Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha said they were not permitted to speak with reporters in the mixed zone after Manchester United's 1-1 draw at Leeds United on Sunday, despite being approached by the written press. It is standard practice for United players to give such interviews after matches.
The silence came days after Lisandro Martínez's controversial television interview following United's 2-0 Champions League defeat to Atlético Madrid, in which he criticized the club's leadership, including director of football Jason Wilcox, over a perceived lack of summer transfer activity. Martínez was fined for the comments and later apologized after reconciliation talks with the club.
Martínez featured against Leeds and was backed by traveling United supporters, who chanted "Argentina, Argentina, Argentina" from the away end, before being forced off at halftime with an injury, according to The Mirror.
The lack of communication from United players after the Leeds match suggests they may have been instructed by the club to avoid further Martínez-style outbursts. However, it is understood there was no explicit directive from United's media team telling players to avoid engaging with written reporters after the game.
Harry Maguire did speak to the club's official website. "You can't question the togetherness, the spirit and the fight. This is a tough place to come. Leeds have been flying in the league," he said. "We can be better. We have to show more quality with the ball. When you come to places like this, you can't be beaten on set-plays and we conceded a set-play which got them back in the game."
Maguire added: "Throughout, we felt comfortable in our shape. They didn't create too many chances. To concede a set-piece after half-time is disappointing. We had to dig in. We got a foothold at about 70 minutes and probably looked the more likely to go and win it, but a draw is probably fair."
Manager Michael Carrick described the performance as a "fresh start," saying: "We're not getting too carried away because we haven't won the game. I think if you keep doing the right things for the right reasons, then you get what you deserve in the end."
The draw stretched United's winless Premier League run to five matches, with their only victory this season coming against newly promoted Ipswich in August. They have won just two of their 10 games across all competitions. United have not gone six games in all competitions without a win since the end of the 2018-19 season, and it is 40 years since they won only one of their first seven top-flight games at the start of a season.
In comments reported on October 15, Roy Keane had criticized Fernandes and Maguire for failing to control the dressing room in the wake of Martínez's outburst.
Carrick's squad travel to Italy to face Cesc Fabregas's Como on Wednesday in their third Champions League fixture of the campaign, before returning to Premier League action against AFC Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday.
