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Former Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster has urged the Red Devils to swap Andre Onana for Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. Foster condemned Onana's subpar performances since joining the club from Inter Milan in 2023 in a deal worth an initial £43.8 million.
Onana's tenure at Old Trafford has been one of inconsistency and errors in goal. He was replaced temporarily by manager Ruben Amorim after two costly mistakes in a 2-2 Europa League draw against Lyon on April 10, but eventually returned to the starting lineup.
Martinez, on the other hand, is a battle-hardened Premier League goalkeeper who began his youth career with Arsenal in 2010. Foster believes the Argentine World Cup winner would make United impenetrable between the sticks. The former Manchester United goalkeeper was candid in a talkSPORT interview (via Mirror):
“It's a brutal league, the Premier League, and I kind of think [over] the last two seasons that he hasn't done enough to prove that he is a Manchester United number one.
“I think he's got ability, and like so many other Man United players, he'd go elsewhere and probably flourish. I think that's probably going to be the case with him as well. If the opportunity does come to sign somebody like Emi Martinez, they've got to go for it. He's still one of the best goalkeepers in the world."
Foster continued:
“A lot of people said this season, probably not up to the standard of the previous two years, but still one of the best goalkeepers in the world. You've got to have a strong spine in any football team. If you get the goalie right, you get a couple of strikers in, Bruno's going to be staying now. It's a great start to the transfer window for them.”
Manchester United are reportedly lining up a bid for Martinez in January and are the leading club in the queue to sign him up this summer. Since United look to rebuild after a turbulent season, signing an experienced player in goal might be the first jigsaw piece in putting some competitive fire back into the club.
Swedish striker interested in joining Manchester United
Victor Gyokeres would jump at a Manchester United transfer even without Champions League football, according to talkSPORT. The Sporting CP striker, who netted 54 in 52 appearances during the 2024-25 season, remains on United's shopping list. However, no concrete discussions have ensued yet.
Sporting are reportedly prepared to sell the Swedish international for £60 million, below his £85 million release clause. This is due to a gentleman's agreement permitting him to leave on the lower figure after demonstrating his commitment to the club last season.
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim previously had a professional connection with Gyokeres at Sporting. The duo remain on good terms, following Amorim's transfer to Old Trafford. Meanwhile, the Red Devils have also completed the signing of Wolves' Matheus Cunha and are reportedly holding talks to sign Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo.
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Nnanna Mba
Nnanna is a European and international football journalist who has been covering news and transfer rumors at Sportskeeda for around 5 years. A keen interest in reading and football since an early age, watching games at local stadiums with family paved the way for him to take up the sport professionally.
Nnanna’s favorite club is English team Bolton Wanderers because he witnessed Nigeria legend Jay-Jay Okocha's play for them between 2002 and 2006. His favorite footballer is Ronaldinho due to the Brazilian's love for the sport and admires Pep Guardiola for redefining football tactics. As a former literature student, Nnanna reckons that the best way of connecting with the readers is to add a bit of empathy in his writing, and relies on trusted websites like Transfermarkt and WhoScored for his articles.
Lionel Messi lifting the World Cup trophy in 2022 is Nnanna’s favorite FIFA World Cup moment, and also follows Major League Soccer due to the diminutive Argentine. He strongly believes that Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could be the next two superstars in the same light as legendary pair Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
When not writing, he likes to play Football Manager and other simulation games.
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