Schmeichel, working for CBS Sports after Manchester United’s 2-0 Champions League defeat by Atlético Madrid, spoke to Martínez shortly after the Argentine had given a separate interview to Gabriel Clarke in which he criticised the club’s summer recruitment and named director of football Jason Wilcox.
The exchange prompted criticism from supporters who felt the former United goalkeeper had tried to steer Martínez away from his complaints and towards more positive discussion of the team. Speaking on The Overlap, Schmeichel said the circumstances had left him unaware of the context.
“My job is I do a couple of things to camera from the touchline, I'm there, I'm talking about the atmosphere and anything I've heard. And afterwards I go to the flash zone and do interviews,” he said.
Schmeichel explained that broadcasters do not have complete control over which players they interview, because arrangements involve club media staff and UEFA representatives. He had originally requested another player and was not expecting Martínez to be sent to him.
“When this happened, I'm actually next to TNT (sic), and Gabriel [Clarke] interviewed Lisandro Martinez. That interview is where everything came out,” Schmeichel said.
“I know he's there, he's not on my list. I'm not interviewing him at all because I've asked for somebody else. This interview finishes and they push him into mine. So, when you look at the interview, I'm a little bit surprised. I don't know what he'd said at this time.”
Martínez’s comments followed United’s defeat in Madrid and focused on what he saw as insufficient ambition in the transfer market. He had been speaking about the club’s performance and leadership before moving into the CBS interview, but Schmeichel said he did not realise that the defender was continuing the same criticism.
“Then in interview with me he says, 'We should do a lot better'. He's carrying on from that interview, but I don't know what he's saying. Because he's speaking to a former player, I think he's saying that we, as players, should do a lot better,” he said.
“I had no clue he was on the attack the way he was. So in my interview, I didn't understand that he was saying all that, so in a way my interview became a little bit clumsy in the greater scheme of things.”
Asked by former England goalkeeper Joe Hart what he would have done differently had he known the full context, Schmeichel said he would have challenged Martínez directly over his decision to speak publicly.
“Definitely, I would've asked him if he felt that he was in a position to say that. I don't think players should ever come out and say anything like that.”
The explanation provides context for an interview that became part of the wider reaction to Martínez’s remarks, rather than a deliberate attempt by Schmeichel to dismiss the defender’s concerns.