Aston Villa boss Unai Emery was asked about Emi Martinez before the game with Crystal Palace
Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez
Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez(Image: Getty Images)
Unai Emery declined to comment on Emi Martinez’s future before Aston Villa’s Premier League match against Crystal Palace.
The 32-year-old’s future at the club remains uncertain amid interest from Manchester United. However, Villa have yet to receive an official offer since previously rejecting a loan bid earlier this summer.
Martinez was not named in Villa’s squad for the game as he is not in the right frame of mind to feature.
Speaking to Sky Sports before kick-off, Emery offered little insight into Martinez’s omission.
When asked why Martinez wasn’t in the squad, Emery simply replied: “Marco Bizot.” After being pressed again on the reason, he repeated: “Marco Bizot.”
Questioned further about whether he will be Villa's future goalkeeper, Emery again responded with: “Marco Bizot.”
In a more general discussion about the match, Emery said: “We are competing, and of course, we feel strong here at home. We need to try to maintain our consistency. The line-up is more or less made up of players who help us find the right structure. Evidently, we’ve lacked something more in attack over the last two matches. Today, we want to win - and to do that, we need to score.
"Hopefully, with our supporters behind us, we can recover our full energy, dominate the play, and be the protagonists on the pitch, playing with personality.”
Emery also praised Crystal Palace, saying: “Crystal Palace play fantastic football and have made a strong impact in the league, FA Cup, and the Community Shield, which they won. Even when rotating players, they remain strong thanks to their solid tactical structure. We’re always in a battle against them—last year, we didn’t manage to win, and that’s our challenge today.”
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