Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel aimed criticism at Lisandro Martinez after the club’s 3-1 defeat to Brighton.
Saturday’s defeat to the Seagulls means United have lost three of their first five Premier League games of the season, while the Old Trafford defeat puts an end to Erik ten Hag’s side’s 20-game unbeaten run at home in the league.
And all three Brighton goals were facilitated by shoddy United defending. United academy graduate Danny Welbeck scored Brighton’s opener having been left unmarked to sweep home against his former side in the first half.
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Meanwhile, Martinez and Victor Lindelof were slow to react for Brighton’s second, with Tariq Lamptey feeding Pascal Gross to score early in the second period.
Gross weaved his way into the United penalty area, with Martinez over-committed himself to try and stop a shot. That allowed the German enough time to evade the oncoming defender and fire a strike at goal.
Joao Pedro subsequently rounded off the scoring for the Seagulls, while Hannibal Mejbri netted a consolation for United minutes later.
And after the game Schmeichel singled out Martinez for criticism, claiming the Argentina international was “trying to be the hero”.
Schmeichel, who won five Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy with United, told Premier League productions: “It is kind of what happens at Manchester United at the minute, it is very individual.
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“Players, for instance, Martinez here, are trying to be a hero and get in and block.
“People know this. If we look at him there, he puts himself in a position directly in the line of the goalkeeper.
“He should be closing down rather than just standing up trying to block. If you want to block, don't turn your body, stand tall. Clearly, things aren't right for Manchester United.”
Though United have dropped into 12th place with six points, manager Erik ten Hag stressed that the club were not in crisis.
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He told Sky Sports: "We must stick together and stick to the plan and the rules and we will turn this around.
"It bothers me [the form], but I have to see the way we play. It's about character, we have to see how strong we are and how the team sticks together. Players standing up and showing character because in all the games, especially the game today [Saturday] and against Arsenal and Forest, we have seen we can play well and create chances.
"But we also have some improvements to make and we have to step up."
Featured Image Credit: GettyTopics: Football, Manchester United, Lisandro Martinez, Peter Schmeichel, Erik Ten Hag, Premier League