Lisandro Martinez has insisted that there is nothing wrong with 'fighting your teammates' under the right circumstances, with the Argentine calling for standards to be raised at Manchester United this season.
During Man United's 3-2 loss to Borussia Dortmund on Sunday evening, the club's new goalkeeper Andre Onana was seen berating Harry Maguire after the centre-back's poor pass had created a goalscoring opportunity for the Bundesliga giants.
Martinez has said that such incidents ensures that players stay "really sharp", with the Red Devils centre-back calling Onana "a big personality".
"It's better for [it], it's better for [it]. If you are focused, you can fight with your teammates as well, you need to make sure everyone is really sharp, but nothing happened," Martinez said when asked about the incident.
"It's part of football. He has a big personality. He can play football, he can deal with the pressure, he's really positive, he's a leader, that's the style of Manchester United."
© Reuters
Onana also addressed his outburst after the match, insisting that there was no problem with his teammate, who is currently being linked with a move away from the club.
"I try to demand a lot from him because I know he is a good player," the goalkeeper told MUTV. "He's one of the captains of the team. He's big, he's good with the ball so I will demand [from] him a lot.
"He's a great guy, I have a good relationship with him. He has to be ready because when I'm on the ball I demand to everyone a lot - I start with myself because we are in this together.
"Mistakes come but we don't have to be afraid to make mistakes because this is a part of life and we learn from the mistakes.
© Reuters
"We have to be very critical with ourselves. If we want to win prizes we have to demand a lot. It's a big honour to be here and I'm very happy to work with these guys - Harry is a fantastic player so we will move on."
Man United head coach Ten Hag has once again insisted that he wants to keep Maguire at Old Trafford this summer despite the speculation surrounding his future.
West Ham United are believed to have failed with a £20m offer for the former Sheffield United youngster over the weekend, but the Hammers are not expected to return with an improved bid.
Maguire is not thought to be actively seeking a summer move, but Martinez, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof are all ahead of him in the pecking order for the starting roles in the middle of the defence.
Last season, the 30-year-old only started eight Premier League matches, and there would be further competition at the back if Jonny Evans is handed a one-year contract this summer.
No Data Analysis info
