WIGAN BOSS ROBERTO MARTINEZ has suggested that there is one rule for the Premier League’s big boys and another for everyone else after Wayne Rooney escaped a red card for an apparent elbow on James McCarthy.

The players clashed in the centre-circle in the opening minutes of yesterday’s game at the DW Stadium.

As Rooney ran past McCarthy, he raised his right arm, catching the Wigan midfielder with his elbow on the side of the face. United won the match 4-0 with Rooney grabbing the third from close range.

When asked about the incident, Martinez claimed that one of his players would have been “very, very lucky to stay on the pitch” for a similar incident.

Speaking on Talksport yesterday evening, the Wigan manager described the incident as a “clear elbow,” arguing that referee Mark Clattenburg made a mistake in not issuing Rooney with a red card.

I’m just disappointed that the referee saw the incident because he gave a free-kick.

That’s an off the ball incident, a clear elbow in the face, he should have been punished in a different way.

Listen to Roberto Martinez’s interview on Talksport here.

Meanwhile, Alex Ferguson leapt to his player’s defence after the game, stating that this was merely further evidence of a media witch-hunt against Rooney.

You have asked the question because it is Wayne Rooney. The press will raise a campaign to get him hung by Tuesday or electrocuted or something like that.

It is unbelievable. Watch the press. It will be interesting to see it.

As Clattenburg saw the incident and awarded a free-kick, the FA has no power to retrospectively sanction Rooney. Had he been sent off, the offence may have merited a three-game ban which would have seen him miss United’s forthcoming games against Chelsea and Liverpool as well as their FA Cup ties against Leyton Orient or Arsenal.

We’ve included a clip of the video for your judgement. What do you think – should Rooney have walked?