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.
