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Last summer saw Erik ten Hag decide to completely overhaul Manchester United’s goalkeeping department after major gaffes made by long-term No 1 David de Gea.
The Spaniard struggled to play out from the back and made numerous high-profile errors which cost United dearly in the Europa League and FA Cup final. He ultimately left the club after 12 years and remains a free agent till date.
The Red Devils were linked with numerous goalkeepers from all across Europe with the club ultimately bringing in Andre Onana, known for his exemplary distribution skills.
The Cameroonian played a pivotal role as the 20-time English league champions ultimately lifted the FA Cup after beating fierce cross-town rivals Manchester City.
Emi Martinez heroics
However, his start to life as United’s No 1 was far from smooth and many raised question marks as to why the manager opted to jump for his former Ajax protege.
The Old Trafford side had been linked with plenty of Premier League keepers including Emiliano Martinez, who is enjoying a fine Copa America currently.
The Argentine played a crucial role as Aston Villa qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history while he was one of the main reasons behind his country’s World Cup triumph in Qatar.
As per his agent Gonzalo Goñi, there was concrete interest from United who were close to sealing the former Arsenal shot-stopper’s signature.
However, Ten Hag ultimately jumped for a player who he worked with before in Onana but the agent even claimed that United realised the folly of their ways and that the club believes Martinez would have been the right choice to take them forward instead of the current incumbent.
“Today he is in one of the best projects, last year he was very close to Manchester United , the coach opted for Onana, because he already knew him.
United should have bought Martinez as per his agent
“But everyone at Manchester United later maintained that the ideal goalkeeper to win was Emiliano Martínez,” Goñi told ESPN Argentina.
Villa being in Europe means the shot-stopper is likely to remain at Villa Park for now but his future could yet lie away from Birmingham, something his agent even hinted at during the interview.
“He will certainly compete in the Champions League and, with a goalkeeper like Emiliano, who turns everything into a box of surprises, he ends up competing on a large scale.
“But everything is never decided: we are having conversations, listening, watching and we will see…” Whether he will earn another shot at making it to United in the future remains to be seen.
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