Lisandro Martinez and Jamie Carragher incident, Liverpool icon's U-turn, Roy Keane reply

 The 'bad blood' between Jamie Carragher and Lisandro Martinez isn't going anywhere.

What began as a sharp criticism of the Manchester United defender's stature has spiralled into a thorny saga of subtle digs, pointed jokes, and unexpected twists. Outspoken Liverpool icon Carragher has never shied away from voicing his opinions, particularly when it comes to his former club's fiercest rivals.

Likewise, Martinez - known for his unerring resilience both on and off the pitch - hasn't backed down from confrontation either, fuelling the spiky relationship between the pair. On Monday, Carragher reignited the feud with another cutting remark following United's latest setback against Brighton.

Theirs is a story of words, comebacks, and the undeniable weight of proving people wrong. Here, Mirror Football unpacks the heated exchanges and pivotal moments that have defined their unlikely rivalry.

Carragher's latest jab

After a brief improvement following Ruben Amorim's appointment in November, United have slipped back into poor form. They've lost six of their last nine Premier League matches and are closer to the relegation zone than they are to the top four.

Thinks looked bleak when they faced title-chasing Liverpool at Anfield earlier this month after three defeats on the bounce, though Amorim's men managed to salvage an unlikely point from the game. Afterwards, Martinez, 27, spoke about a "change in mindset" under the new coach, suggesting that a newly instilled never-say-die mentality helped them earn a draw.

Carragher, however, disagreed, and said Martinez's comments made him laugh. "I've not got much sympathy for the players in that Manchester United dressing room, they have been a joke for a few years now," the 46-year-old said on Sky Sports on Monday, reacting to Amorim's savage claim that this was "maybe the worst team" in United's history.

"A few weeks ago, after they played Liverpool, there was an interview with Lisandro Martinez where he was talking about the mentality - and tapping his head - that was different. I nearly burst out laughing when I saw that, to be honest.

"The amount of times Manchester United have basically threw the towel in or had bad performances over the last four or five years. So I've not got much sympathy in the dressing room for the players."

How their feud began

Martinez followed Erik ten Hag from Ajax to Old Trafford in the summer of 2022 and made a pretty immediate impact. But it took him a while to win over some of his critics, namely one Jamie Carragher.

The ex-Liverpool centre-back felt that Martinez was too small, at 5ft 9in, to be a success in English football, and all but wrote him off shortly after his arrival. "Now, we should never judge managers or players too early, but I'm convinced this can't work because the size of him playing in a back four," Carragher said at the time. "Maybe he could go left back, maybe he could play in a back three, but in a back four, he cannot play there in the Premier League."

A few weeks later, following a string of solid performances from Martinez, Carragher dug his heels in. "I think he's a good player. I wouldn't want a centre-back who was 5ft 9in in my team. I would not," he said on The Overlap in September 2022, when asked if his opinion of the centre back.

"For a defender to be 5ft 9in and play, never mind in the Premier League, at any level of football, he's got to be a good player. Because that is not normal. His passing is very good, he looks aggressive. He looks like a leader. He's not a bad player, but to play at that level of football at 5ft 9in - I wouldn't want to play alongside someone who was 5ft 9in as a centre-back."

Martinez hits back

In August 2024, Martinez took an overdue retaliatory swipe at Carragher - albeit a playful one - during a live broadcast on Sky Sports. The defender joined Carragher and Red Devils legends Gary Neville and Roy Keane on the side of the pitch after his stellar performance in United's 1-0 opening weekend win over Fulham, and it didn't take long for Carra to be put on the spot.

Neville asked Martinez: "When you first came to the Premier League there were a lot of comments about you because of the physicality of this league, how have you found it?" In response, the Argentina international pointed at Carragher and said: "You mean from him?"

Carragher took the jab in good spirits, laughing it off and joking that Martinez was actually taller than him. The United defender continued with a smile, "As a player you are ready for everything, it is part of our job.

"If you play badly, especially at this club, then you are ready for criticism. I was ready for that, the first two games I did not play well but I took responsibility."

Carragher U-turn

In fairness to Carragher, he did revise his assessment of Martinez mid-way through the defender's debut United campaign, describing him as a "special" player. "I think he's been brilliant. To be that small and be that good at centre back, you've obviously got to be a special player," Carragher said on an episode of The Overlap in February 2023.

"I didn't think someone of that size could cope in the Premier League, and he has coped. I think he's been brilliant. What I said before about United's spirit, I think he's been a big part of that. I think I saw a few weeks ago when he was sub, someone scored a late goal and he was right involved [in the celebrations].

"He's Argentinian. He's got that fight... I think he can still get exposed, but everyone has weaknesses, and the best players hide them. And I think he's a really good player, yeah. He's surprised me with the way he's coped... I can admit when I'm wrong."

Roy Keane response

It isn't just Neville fighting Martinez's corner on Sky Sports - Keane has been at it, too. When Martinez joined the broadcast after United's aforementioned win over Fulham in August, the Irishman suggested that Carragher had taken his critique of Martinez too far.

"It takes players a while to settle into the club, we should sometimes give players the benefit of the doubt," Keane said, before labelling Martinez "a warrior" and calling him exactly the sort of character United need. It isn't the first time the ex-Red Devils skipper has defended Martinez either.

Back in January 2023, Keane lauded him for taking "pride" in his defending, and playing with a "balance" that few current centre-backs have. "He's got pride in his defending, which is great to see. A lot of the modern defenders know it's about what they do in possession. He wants to defend, he's got great pride in it."

Keane added: "You need that balance, it really is important. Harry Maguire when he's been playing on the left hand side when he's right-footed, it's very difficult... we talk about that character, that desire. We've seen already the benefits of having him at the club over the last few months.

"He wants to defend. He looks the right character, the kind of lad you want to be in the trenches with. We saw it tonight, United were coasting towards the end but he still wanted to defend."

Carragher back at it

Despite U-turning on his initial evaluation of the player, Carragher has needed no invitation to stick the knife into Martinez in the two years since. Following United's 4-3 defeat to Tottenham in the EFL Cup in December last year, the Reds icon insisted that Martinez was "a worry" at the back for Amorim.

"I didn't think [Martinez] would play well in a back four because he's small, but he had a really good first season," he said on Sky Sports. "In some ways you'd think he'd be suited to a back three, he can step out on his left foot and he's got two big defenders next to him. But I don't think he's looked as comfortable since Amorim came in. He had a really poor night."

Combined with the swipe he took at the Argentinian on Monday, this suggests the bad blood between the pair - whether playful or not - is far from over.