Everton manager Roberto Martinez has compounded supporters' growing doubts about him by claiming that Leighton Baines has caused them to "suffer" by suggesting the side lacks "chemistry" after a fourth defeat in five Premier League games.

The Merseyside club's performance levels against Manchester United dipped alarmingly after a strong start to the game, leading Baines to declare that the squad lacked a bond. But rather than accept the experienced 31-year-old defender's comments - which were certainly not intemperate - Martinez said he has apologised for them and claimed that supporters had been affected.

“When you use the word 'chemistry' it opens up to interpretation and it opens up to people saying ‘chemistry' is not getting on with each other," Martinez said. "Leighton didn’t mean that at all. What was important was to clarify the words: the damage, if you want, that has been made. Because the ones who suffer are our fans and that’s very quickly been done."

Martinez's initial disclosure that Baines had apologised - made public on Thursday morning - was greeted with deep scepticism by supporters. The Spaniard's continually positive spin on the club, whose form is among the poorest in the Premier League, has contributed to a souring of the relationship between many fans, whose continual booing of the side's performance was audible again at Old Trafford.

Everton have taken exception to the reporting of Baines' comments, even though they were a transparent reflection of how he feels about the side's under-performance. That a one-to-one discussion between player and manager has been necessary illustrates a tight reign on players' right to express their opinions at the club who - despite having free-scoring Romelu Lukaku - are marooned at 12th place.

Martinez said: “He is talking about lack of confidence and lack of chemistry on the pitch once you have had a couple of defeats. Those words have been given the opportunity to maybe attract a meaning that is not right and is not correct. For that he apologised and has taken responsibility for that, of leaving those words open.

“This team has loads of chemistry. It has got an understanding between players that allows them to play in the way we have this season. (But) we are missing confidence and it’s clear in the last two or three games we haven’t reached the level we are supposed to have.

“Sometimes with that disappointment you have to measure your words really well. It’s what I expect from a senior player in our dressing room, to take responsibility, to hold his hand up and respond and perform on the pitch.”

Everton full-back Leighton Baines (Getty)

Baines will be in Everton’s squad for Saturday’s trip to Watford when Martinez’s side will be looking to regain some form against a side they could yet meet in the FA Cup final with the clubs missing each other in the semi-final draw.

Martinez added: “As a player if you have something negative to say about someone and you do it through the press and you want to deliver messages, you don’t deserve to be part of our football club. They wouldn’t be playing and that’s not the case with Leighton.”

Baines is not the only Everton player to be harbouring doubts about the chemistry of the side and supporters doubts about Martinez's comments will be compounded by the fact that he is one of the wise heads and a loyalist, who resisted Manchester United's move to buy him three years ago.

Though out of the England set-up owing to injury and lack of game time, manager Roy Hodgson does not consider him out of the picture - despite Tottenham's Danny Rose making himself an automatic pick through his form leading into the last internationals.

In an interview with the Liverpool Echo, Baines also said that Everton had become over-reliant on certain players – Romelu Lukaku is the only player to have scored in the last four games – but Martinez did not agree with that statement.