Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Martinez reiterates that Wayne Rooney was lucky not to be punished for James McCarthy incident

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    By Andrew Kennedy

    4 Mar 2011 10:45:00

    Premier League: Roberto Martinez - Wigan Athletic West Ham United (Getty Images)

    Premier League: Roberto Martinez – Wigan Athletic West Ham United (Getty Images)

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    Wigan Athletic boss Roberto Martinez says Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney was lucky not to be punished on the pitch following his elbow on midfielder James McCarthy.

    The FA decided not to take any action after referee Mark Clattenburg claimed he saw the incident and dealt with it appropriately during the game at the DW Stadium.

    Yet Martinez has claimed Rooney may have faced a more immediate response had his players seen the incident.

    Speaking to reporters, Martinez said: “None of the rest of the players saw the incident live. You would have seen a completely different reaction from the players on the pitch if they had seen the incident. It is an off-the-ball action you don’t want to see on a football pitch. As I said at the time, he got away with it.

    “You always protect your team-mates. We have a great team spirit and if you see a player that has been elbowed in that manner you would have seen a real reaction.

    “That is natural and is normal. You need that in a team, if you are not going to protect each other on the football pitch, you will suffer.”

    The former Swansea City boss also hailed 20-year-old midfielder McCarthy for not overreacting following Rooney’s elbow on him.

    “James is a mature boy,” Martinez continued. “You would never tell he is only 20 and it was great to see him not overreacting and allowing the ref to make a decision without pressure.”

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    Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Martinez reiterates that Wayne Rooney was lucky not to be punished for James McCarthy incident