The Argentine relishes intimidating his opponents, and his imposing character would restore a winning mentality at Old Trafford
If Manchester United end up signing Emiliano Martinez, then the goalkeeper might need to apologise to the Old Trafford faithful given the relationship between them. After seeing Bruno Fernandes hammer a stoppage-time penalty over the bar to confirm Aston Villa's 1-0 win in 2021, Martinez began dancing in front of the Stretford End, deliberately goading the supporters.
Though he did not directly save the penalty, Martinez was effectively claiming the assist, and for good reason: the Argentine wound up Fernandes by telling him that Cristiano Ronaldo should take the spot-kick, and the mind games worked as Fernandes missed only his second of 23 penalties for the Red Devils, handing Villa a first win at Old Trafford for 12 years.
United fans have also seen Martinez lose his head to their benefit, when he was sent off in the final game of last season for rushing out of his area and clattering into Rasmus Hojlund. Both sides of Martinez's mentality will be being pored over by United's coaching staff and recruitment team as the club weighs up whether or not to sign him from Villa, but what they will be most interested in is his ability to make saves. The ex-Arsenal man is the best in the world when it comes to that particular skill, one that has been devalued in football lately, especially by United.
And that is why the Red Devils should make signing Martinez their next priority after completing a deal to secure Bryan Mbeumo, as they would be getting a world-beating goalkeeper who is renowned primarily for keeping the ball out of the net.
gettyWeakness exposed
When United signed Andre Onana in 2023, all the talk was about the Cameroonian's skill with the ball at his feet and how his arrival would help Erik ten Hag finally implement the possession-based football he wanted his United team to play to take them to the next level. Not much analysis was done on Onana's shot-stopping ability, and his shortcomings in that area were brutally exposed soon after his £47m ($64m) arrival from Inter.
Onana was lobbed from the halfway line in a friendly against Lens on his Old Trafford debut before enduring a truly torrid time in the Champions League, as he made ghastly errors against Bayern Munich and in both matches against Galatasaray which directly led to United being dumped out of Europe's elite competition. He has continued to make high-profile errors ever since, most notably in April's Europa League clash with Lyon after being dragged into a war of words with Nemanja Matic.
His footwork has barely compensated for all those errors, and after two years there has been no noticeable improvement in United's ability to play out from the back. Onana has even cost them infuriating goals when trying to play out, such as when he failed to communicate with Patrick Dorgu against Ipswich Town in February. The goalkeeper has mostly abandoned short passing and has resorted to hoofing the ball downfield, more often than not hitting it out of play or to the opposition.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesChange in priorities
Onana's litany of mistakes have evidently frustrated Ruben Amorim, and the Portuguese even dropped the goalkeeper for one game after the Lyon debacle. When asked in a press conference whether he needed to replace Onana in the long term, Amorim did get into a heated argument with a reporter, but what was most telling was that he did not defend his No.1 nor talk up his qualities. "We need to improve every position on the field" was his response; not exactly a ringing endorsement.
Just as the season was winding down, it was reported that Amorim had grown so frustrated with Onana's mistakes that he had tweaked the team's style of play to discourage the ex-Ajax man from playing out from the back. It was also reported that the coach primarily wanted a goalkeeper who could give 'peace of mind' and 'reduce the sense of volatility' that had defined the team's defensive displays.
The search for a potential Onana replacement would focus on ' fundamental traits like shot-stopping, catching, and minimising errors rather than building play from the back'. If that report is accurate, then Martinez and Amorim are speaking the same language.
GettyFrom the bottom to the very top
Martinez has taken the long road to superstardom after joining Arsenal as a 17-year-old. He spent time up and down England playing in the unglamorous lower leagues, dropping as low as fourth-tier League Two to play for Oxford United as well as taking in Championship stints with Wolves, Reading, Sheffield Wednesday and Rotherham United.
Playing out from the back is rarely a priority in such surroundings, and Martinez thus focused on the basics of goalkeeping. He maintained that focus when his career began to finally take off back at Arsenal and then at Villa, as well as when he became Argentina's No.1 as he played a pivotal role in them winning the World Cup and two Copas America.
Martinez saved three penalties in the semi-final shootout triumph over Colombia in the 2021 Copa America, playing incredible mind games with his opponents which could be easily heard in a stadium that was empty due to Covid-19 rules. His shootout heroics continued into both the 2022 World Cup quarter-final win over the Netherlands and the final victory against France, as well as in the 2024 Copa America quarters against Ecuador. He collected the Golden Glove at all three tournaments and was subsequently named the top goalkeeper in the world, winning the Yashin Trophy (part of the Ballon d'Or awards) in 2023 and 2024 while scooping the FIFA Best Goalkeeper prize in 2022 and 2024.
Getty'By saving, I win titles'
Martinez celebrates the fact that he is known above all for his ability to make saves. He told 'Sports Center': "Now in the football world the first question they ask about a goalkeeper is 'Is he good with his feet?'. Sometimes clubs maybe sign a goalkeeper who's skilled with their feet but doesn't save much. I always focus on needing to save better than I play with my feet. I focus on saving, saving, saving. By saving, I win titles."
Signing Martinez would signal United going back to their roots for having a goalkeeper who is adept at making saves. David de Gea was an incredible shot-stopper and that is why he went on to become the goalkeeper with both the most appearances and clean sheets in the club's history. That ability was ultimately under-appreciated by the club amid their bid to modernise and find their own version of Ederson, but signing Martinez would be a step back in the right direction.
The 32-year-old is a figure who intimidates opposition players. In his own words, he likes to "create chaos" for his rivals, and he shares many traits with United's most legendary goalkeeper of all, Peter Schmeichel.
