Michael Carrick spent his Friday news conference trying to close a door that Lisandro Martinez had kicked wide open. Manchester United's head coach says the row over the defender's public criticism of the club is finished, that the player will be in the squad for Sunday's trip to Leeds, and that the mood around the training ground is better than anyone outside it would believe.
What Martinez said, and what he took back
The trouble started after United's Champions League defeat by Atletico Madrid on Tuesday. Martinez told reporters the club had left Carrick with a squad that was not properly equipped, and said he expected more from technical director Jason Wilcox. By Thursday he had met the club's leadership and the manager, and he followed that with a statement apologising. He said the frustration of the defeat had made him speak in a way that perhaps was not right, and that he believed in his team-mates and his manager. It is understood he has also been fined by the club.
The 28-year-old's contract runs out next summer, which gives the whole episode an extra edge. A player with a year left who publicly questions the people who decide on transfers is going to be asked about his future sooner or later.
Carrick tries to draw the line
Asked about it on Friday, Carrick made clear he wanted the story to stop being the story. He described the conversation with Martinez as simple, said everyone understood the situation and that the player had acknowledged it was a mistake. He called it done and said the group had moved on. He also insisted he was telling the truth when he said the squad was in a fantastic place, better than he had seen it for a while, and that Friday's session was one of the better ones they have had.
He was also asked about a message Amad Diallo posted on his Snapchat story after the Atletico game, which used an expletive and called the night a disgrace without saying exactly what he meant. Carrick's answer was measured. Passion and emotion are what he wants from players, he said, but there are right ways to channel it, and the intensity needs to be carried onto the pitch rather than into public statements.
Leeds away with a mood to fix
The fixture list does not offer much of a cushion. United visit Elland Road on Sunday at 14:00 BST having won just two of their nine games this season, and they sit 13th in the Premier League on six points from six league matches. Leeds boss Daniel Farke has already said United cannot be treated as underdogs, which tells you how the home dressing room is reading the situation.
Carrick also brushed aside questions about his own future. Fans writing in to BBC Sport's live page were split between those who called the optimism deluded and those who thought the whole saga was a storm in a teacup. Results will settle that argument faster than any news conference can. If United find a way to win at Leeds, Martinez's outburst becomes a footnote. If they lose, it will be dragged back out within minutes.
Match facts: Leeds United v Manchester United, Elland Road, Sunday 18 October, 14:00 BST. United are 13th with six points from six Premier League games. Lisandro Martinez, 28, is in the squad and his contract expires next summer.
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