£40m star was “absolutely convinced” he was moving to United, Amorim dodged a bullet – report

Manchester United were strongly linked with Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez over the summer. During the summer transfer window, United largely focused on signing Premier League-proven players. They acquired Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo from Wolves and Brentford respectively, to strengthen their attack. Before securing the services of RB Leipzig youngster Benjamin Sesko, the Red Devils reportedly explored the possibility of signing Ollie Watkins from Villa. They also made an unsuccessful loan bid for Martinez. Emi Martinez believed he was joining Man United Late in the window, United intensified their efforts to strengthen their goalkeeping department and continued to follow the Argentina international.  According to the Daily Mail, Martinez was “absolutely convinced” he was joining United. It is claimed that the 33-year-old was telling friends he was moving to Old Trafford “right up until the moment he realised he wasn’t.” On deadline day, United struck an agreement with Royal Antwerp over the signing of Senne Lammens, leaving Martinez stunned with the development.  Villa were also expecting their number one to leave, as they made a bid to sign Lammens, who eventually decided to join Ruben Amorim’s side in an £18m deal. Lammens proving to be the right choice Following the collapse of his dream move to United, Martinez seems unsettled and has struggled to regain his form.  Meanwhile, Lammens has enjoyed a promising start to life at his new club, having already established himself as Amorim’s first-choice shot-stopper.  The 23-year-old kept a clean sheet on his debut against Sunderland. In his first four appearances for the Mancunians, the Belgian has looked an assured presence between the sticks and a massive upgrade on Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir. United have benefitted from his presence, picking up 10 points from a possible 12. Featured image Matt McNulty via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Vishal Singh Vishal has worked in the football media industry for over six years, planning, writing, and editing content for several major outlets, including North Star Network. Vishal has a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Delhi University. Currently a writer at The Peoples Person, he covers Manchester United — a club he has been religiously following and supporting since 2012. Vishal also manages a leading MUFC fan page, The Red Devils, on Facebook with over a million likes. Big fan of ball-playing centre-backs and Harry Maguire’s knee-slide celebration!