Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martínez has broken his silence after his ‘dream’ move to Manchester United collapsed on transfer deadline day.
Manchester United were busy on transfer deadline day this summer and ended up getting all of their desired business over the line.
While the Reds decided against pursuing a midfielder late in the window after being unable to sign Carlos Baleba from Brighton, they still signed a goalkeeper and ensured several exits were completed.
Senne Lammens was signed between the sticks for United for around £18 million from Royal Antwerp but he was not the only goalkeeper being considered on deadline day.
Reports explained that Emi Martínez of Aston Villa had re-emerged as an option and that the Argentine had agreed personal terms with the Old Trafford club.
In the end, it has been claimed that Jadon Sancho’s preference to only move to Villa on loan, rather than a permanent transfer, led to United opting for Lammens over the World Cup winner.
Martínez breaks silence after dream United move collapsed
For Martínez, a move to United was said to be a dream and he now has a slightly complicated situation in the Midlands with many fans angered by his transfer intentions.
Despite this, the goalkeeper has travelled for international duty and has expressed his happiness on social media.
Martínez uploaded a photo on Instagram of him grinning in training with Argentina, and he captioned the post, “Feliz”, which translates to “Happy”.
United defender Lisandro Martínez was among those to like the post. The centre-back previously labelled his national teammate as an ‘animal’ during his 2022 World Cup heroics.
United opted for youth over experience
Meanwhile, at United, they ended up opting for youth over experience once again. Benjamin Šeško was signed over Ollie Watkins earlier in the summer too.
Since INEOS took charge, they have not signed a single player over the age of 26, with Noussair Mazraoui and Matheus Cunha both being that age when they arrived.
While Lammens’ level is simply unknown to many fans, Martínez was not a perfect option even though he has stolen the spotlight in many big situations over recent years.
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The 32-year-old has made his fair share of mistakes for Villa over the last two seasons, with his red card on the final day against United costing them a place in the Champions League.
Lammens will be hoping to push his way into the United side and prove why the Reds were right to chose him over the World Cup winner.
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