No person inside Old Trafford would have been more relieved than Ruben Amorim when Bruno Fernandes scored the winning goal for Manchester United against Burnley on Saturday.
The United captain smashed the ball into the bottom corner from the penalty spot after VAR helped to award a penalty for a pull on Amad Diallo in the box.
It was a huge win for the club and for Amorim after the loss to League Two Grimsby on penalties in the League Cup earlier in the week, possibly putting any talk about the manager's future on hold until after the international break.
The BBC reported before the clash with Burnley that the Portuguese boss has the backing of the board, but another poor result before the break could have put pressure on them to make a call.
Man Utd make offer for Premier League star
The win over Burnley has ensured that Amorim's future is safe for now and that means that he now has an opportunity to add more signings to his squad on deadline day to bolster his chances of turning things around.
According to the Mirror, Manchester United are pursuing a last-minute move for Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez as a possible alternative to Royal Antwerp's Senne Lammens.
The report claims that the Red Devils are set to submit an official offer of £40m in an attempt to sign the World Cup-winning shot-stopper before the deadline.
emiliano-martinez-aston-villa-wcq
Emiliano Martinez in action for Argentina.
It reveals that Amorim does not trust Altay Bayindir or Andre Onana to be his number one this season, which is why the club feel that they have to make a short-term move to bring Martinez to Old Trafford.
The Mirror does not state whether or not £40m will be enough to tempt Villa into cashing in on him, but it does claim that the Villans are open to his exit because of his age.
Why Emi Martinez could save Ruben Amorim's job
It is fair to say that goalkeeper has been a problem position for Manchester United in recent seasons, and in recent weeks, with Altay and Onana both struggling.
Onana-Man-Utd-Grimsby
Onana made errors for both of Grimsby's goals and conceded 12 penalties in the loss to the League Two outfit, whilst Altay made a very high-profile error for Arsenal's winning goal on the opening day.
These mistakes have been costly and resulted in losses that have put Amorim into the difficult position he has found himself in, which is why signing a top-quality goalkeeper like Martinez could save his job.
Emi Martinez (Premier League) 23/24 24/25
Appearances 34 37
Sofascore rating 7.10 7.07
Save percentage 66% 69%
Clean sheets 8 8
Goals prevented +4.57 +1.16
Error led to goal 2 1
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the Argentina international has consistently been a top-quality shot-stopper for Aston Villa, preventing almost seven more goals than expected in the last two seasons.
Onana, meanwhile, only prevented 0.53 goals and made three errors that led to goals in the 2024/25 Premier League campaign for the Red Devils, which suggests that Martinez would come in as a big upgrade on him.
This is why the Villa star, who was hailed as "unbelievable" by Nigel Spink, could save Amorim's job by coming through the door to be a huge presence between the sticks for United.
Having Martinez in goal could lead to fewer losses and more wins because, put simply, he makes higher quality saves than Onana and Altay and does not make as many errors that lead to goals.
This is why the Villa star could save Amorim's job because the improved results that his signing could lead to may take the pressure off the Portuguese boss and fire United up the table.