Emiliano Martinez left waiting! Aston Villa star spent deadline day hoping for Man Utd transfer call that never came as Red Devils signed Senne Lammens instead

The acquisition of a potential new No.1 was always a top priority at Old Trafford throughout the summer window. Many considered World Cup winner Martinez to be the ideal candidate to take over from error-prone Andre Onana between the sticks at the so-called ‘Theatre of Dreams’.

Argentina international Martinez was open to said move, having seemingly bid farewell to Aston Villa fans at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, but the enigmatic 32-year-old was left hanging as the deadline passed with no deal done.

According to The Athletic, Martinez “called on his Argentina team-mate, United defender Lisandro Martinez, to try to advocate for him with people at United” as the clock ticked down. He also “spoke to Ruben Amorim in June and July about a prospective move”, with United’s Portuguese coach of the opinion that the South American’s “character and experience would be beneficial for his side”.

Only one call was made, regarding a loan deal that was never going to be acceptable to Villa. From there, Martinez’s salary became a problem - with the ex-Arsenal shot-stopper working on terms in the West Midlands until 2029 that see him earn more than Onana. A fee of over £30 million ($41m) also needed to be factored into the equation.

Ultimately, United turned their attention to Lammens, with the Belgian arriving from Royal Antwerp for £18m ($24m). When Martinez eventually left Villa’s training base it was to head to Argentina for 2026 World Cup qualifying duty, not for a medical and contract signing in Manchester.