Emiliano Dibu’ Martínez was close to joining Manchester United last year, according to his agent Gustavo Goñi, Soccernet.football reports.
The Argentine goalkeeper’s move fell through when the club chose to sign André Onana instead.
Gustavo Goñi revealed this news while talking about Martínez, who is currently impressing in the Copa América with the Argentine national team. Martínez has been crucial for Argentina, especially in penalty shootouts.
He played a key role in their win against Ecuador, saving two shots to help Argentina reach the semi-finals of the 2024 Copa América in the United States. Argentina will face Canada next.
For Aston Villa, Martínez is also invaluable. The club has not included an exit clause in his contract, highlighting his importance to the team. Under his brilliance, Aston Villa qualified for the Champions League for the first time in 41 years.
Martínez is under contract with Villa until 2027, and although big clubs have shown interest, he remains with the team. Villa bought him for 21 million euros.
There were rumours about interest from Real Madrid and Al Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo’s current club. Amid the excitement around Martínez’s Copa America performances, Goñi confirmed that Martínez was close to joining Manchester United a year ago.
“Maradona was great at Napoli and he didn’t stop being great just because he was at Napoli. I always tell Dibu: you have the chance to repeat what Maradona did at Aston Villa, with the difference that Aston Villa was one of the greats of world football,” Goñi told ESPN as per Infobae.
Goñi explained that Manchester United’s then-coach Erik ten Hag opted for André Onana, whom he knew from Ajax. However, many at United believed Martínez was the ideal goalkeeper.
Goñi continued: “He had the chance last year to go to Manchester United, the coach (Erik ten Hag) at that time had a lot of weight and opted for André Onana because he already knew him from Ajax, but everyone at United maintained that he was the ideal goalkeeper to win. The sporting director, the scouts, everyone we spoke to.
Goñi praised Aston Villa’s project, noting their top sporting director and coach, Unai Emery.
He highlighted Villa’s unexpected qualification for the Champions League and suggested that Martínez could help the team compete at the highest level in Europe.
“Today he is in one of the best projects, he has one of the best sporting directors in the world,” the Argentine’s agent added.
“He has one of the most prestigious coaches in the world (Unai Emery), and he has qualified for the Champions League when nobody believed he could qualify…
“Surely he will compete in the Champions League, and with a goalkeeper like Emiliano, who turns everything into a box of surprises, perhaps, he ends up competing on a large scale in the Champions League.
“But it’s never all set in stone, we’re talking, we’re seeing… Maybe it will compete with Aston Villa and put them among the greats of Europe,” concluded Goñi.
Martínez could yet again be the hero as defending Copa champions and reigning World Cup winners Argentina face Canada in the semi-final of the Copa 2024 at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey.