Agent claims Man United boss Ten Hag pulled plug on deal for World Cup winner

After deciding against handing David de Gea a new contract, Man United entered the goalkeeping market and ultimately settled on Andre Onana as their new first-choice stopper, with the Cameroonian linking up with Red Devils head coach Erik ten Hag for the second time in his career.

According to Gonzalo Goni, a deal was almost in place for Martinez to join the 20-time English champions, but Ten Hag stepped in to secure a move for Onana.

"Last year he [Martinez] was very close to Manchester United, [but] the coach chose Onana, because he already knew him," Goni told ESPN Futbol 12.

"But everyone at Manchester United later maintained that the ideal goalkeeper to win was Emiliano Martinez."

Martinez has developed into one of the world's best goalkeepers

Martinez left Arsenal for Villa in 2020, and the 31-year-old has made 159 appearances for his current side in all competitions, keeping 54 clean sheets in the process.

The goalkeeper was in strong form during the 2023-24 campaign, keeping 15 clean sheets in 47 appearances in all competitions, including nine shut-outs in the Premier League, as Unai Emery's side finish fourth.

Martinez is Argentina's number one, playing a key role in their 2022 World Cup success, and he also starred in the recent Copa America quarter-final against Ecuador, saving two spot kicks in the penalty shootout.

Goni has claimed that the South American could have been keeping goal for Man United, but Ten Hag decided to pursue Onana, with the stopper arriving from Inter Milan.

How did Onana perform last season?

There is no getting away from the fact that Onana had a difficult start to his Man United career, making a series of high-profile errors, which led to question marks surrounding his suitability for the Red Devils.

However, the 28-year-old did recover to show some positive form in the second half of the campaign, and he finished 2023-24 with 13 clean sheets in 51 appearances.

Onana had the same number of Premier League shut-outs as Martinez (nine), and he is again set to be the club's number one during the 2024-25 campaign.

Altay Bayindir also arrived last summer as Man United's number two, while Tom Heaton will continue as the number three next term, having recently penned a new one-year contract.

Martinez will now be bidding to help Argentina win the Copa America this summer before preparing to represent Villa in the Champions League during the new season.