Man United legend Rio Ferdinand says he is excited about the prospect of his former club signing Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez.
The Argentinian international is one of three keepers who has been linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent weeks, along with Senne Lammens and Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Ferdinand claims he would be delighted if Martinez is the one who arrives on Deadline Day:
“Martinez, World Cup-winning goalkeeper. Definitive moment in a World Cup final. Loads of big games and had to play in them. Wow. He’s a good goalkeeper… [Onana’s problems] shows you how quickly things can change and form and lack of confidence can really affect things. And Martinez’s confidence has done that. Onana’s has done that while he’s been at Manchester United.”
“But I think a lot of people are talking about Martinez, Lammens is the other young 23-year-old goalkeeper they’ve been talking about making that again. Or Donnarumma, people have been saying. I’ve got to be honest with you, if they got Martinez out of them three, I’d be absolutely fine and happy with it, Martinez.”
Will Martinez sign for Man United?
At the time of writing, everything points towards the 32-year-old making the switch to Old Trafford before the transfer window closes at 7pm.
Personal terms have been agreed and he was left out of Villa’s squad for their 3-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace at the weekend.
Things are falling into place
It has been claimed that Jadon Sancho’s move to Aston Villa was crucial for Martinez to make the switch in the other direction. Reports suggest that the winger will join the Midlands club on an initial loan deal.
That will likely pave the way for Martinez to join the Red Devils as long as a transfer fee/loan formula can be agreed ahead of the deadline this evening.
Read more about the Manchester United First Team Squad for 2025/26 here
David Tully
David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for National World’s Football News Network.
