Aston Villa star Emiliano Martinez was pursued by Manchester United last summer only for Erik ten Hag to block the move, according to the goalkeeper’s agent.
Following David de Gea’s departure from Old Trafford last summer, United signed Andre Onana for a fee of £47million from Inter Milan to replace the long-serving Spaniard in goal.
Altay Bayindir also arrived from Fenerbahçe to serve as the Cameroonian’s understudy between the sticks.
Onana, who excelled in the 2023 Champions League final against Manchester City, was reunited with ten Hag having previously had a spell together at Ajax.
David Raya, who went onto sign for Arsenal, and Portugal and Porto shot stopper Diogo Costa were two other options under consideration last summer with Martinez’s agent now revealing United were very keen on bringing his client to Manchester.
Gonzalo Goni has claimed United were ‘very close’ to agreeing a deal for the Villa goalkeeper only for ten Hag to push for a move for Onana instead, suggesting other key figures at the club preferred the Argentina international.
‘Today he is in one of the best projects,’ Goni told ESPN. ‘Last year he was very close to Manchester United , the coach opted for Onana, because he already knew him.
‘But everyone at Manchester United later maintained that the ideal goalkeeper to win was Emiliano Martínez.’
Ten Hag’s signings have been widely questioned since his arrival at the club in 2022.
While Lisandro Martinez, another of his former Ajax players, has become an integral player at the club, deals for Antony, Casemiro, Mason Mount and others have proved unconvincing.
Ten Hag signed a one-year contract extension this week, keeping him at the club until 2026.
He also retains his transfer veto, which was part of his original agreement with the club when he arrived from Ajax two years ago.
United are currently in talks with Bayern Munich to sign another former Ajax player in Matthijs de Ligt in a deal worth around £40million.
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