Manchester United's season has been in freefall ever since the 2-0 defeat against Hull City on the opening weekend of the Premier League campaign.

Michael Carrick's squad have lost four of their opening nine fixtures across all competitions, with the recent 2-0 away defeat to Atletico Madrid prompting a series of bombshell statements from defender Lisandro Martínez.

In the aftermath of the loss, the United defender launched an extraordinary public attack on the club's board and recruitment strategy, claiming that the squad "expect more from the top" to help United compete for trophies.

Speaking in a fiery post-match interview with Amazon Prime, the 28-year-old Argentinian openly targeted United's technical director, Jason Wilcox, and the club's hierarchy, citing a lack of summer investment as a significant culprit in the club's current struggles.

Following Martínez's interview, United midfielder and summer signing Youri Tielemans said he had nothing to comment when pressed for his thoughts on his teammate's words, while Carrick stated he would not give his opinion until he watches the interview himself.

However, Roundtable understands that most players in the dressing room are aligned with Martínez's words, and that this opinion has been on the minds of some of United's player leadership group since the start of the campaign.

The Argentina international publicly claimed that the club's board did not do enough to give Carrick the tools he needs to succeed and build on the group's third-place finish last campaign, and staff and players have also asked internally why this happened.

It is understood that the mood around the club is currently very low, and there's a palpable sense now that tensions are rising within United as they travel back from Madrid and prepare to face high-flying Leeds United away from home on Sunday afternoon.

The club's next five fixtures include a trip to face Leeds in the Premier League, a further away tie against Como in the Champions League, and a home league tie against Bournemouth.

Then, United will travel to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge before entering November with a European home tie against AS Roma.

This is a crucial period for Carrick. Martínez's words will have a lasting effect at United, and whether they further affect performances, given the next two fixtures are away from Old Trafford, could have consequences for the manager's job.

Regardless, the only thing players and staff can do is look to turn results around on the pitch and calm the chaos.