Peter Crouch names Aston Villa star as Manchester United’s biggest summer blunder
Aston Villa have had a difficult start to the season following an underwhelming summer transfer window.
Villa beat Fulham 3-1 at the weekend, ending their winless start to the new Premier League season and making it two victories on the bounce in all competitions.
Prior to the last week, it had been a poor start to the season, which has seen some of Unai Emery‘s key men wildly out of form or absent so far this campaign.
Morgan Rogers has been linked with a transfer all summer and has struggled to continue his blistering form from last year.
Meanwhile, those who did leave, such as Marcus Rashford, Leon Bailey and Marco Asensio, were tough to replace, with PSR limiting Aston Villa on what they could do.
Peter Crouch thinks Villa player should have left the club
Manchester United were on the hunt for a goalkeeper all summer long, with Emi Martinez being heavily linked with a transfer to Old Trafford.
Ultimately, Martinez’s move to Manchester failed, and ex-Villan Peter Crouch believes it was a huge mistake on United’s end.
When talking on TNT Sports, after United’s loss to Brentford, Crouch said this about the failed move: “I don’t know why when you’ve got Donnarumma or Martinez available, the situation wasn’t resolved.
“Martinez felt the obvious situation, that he’d come in – he’s dominant, he’s a character, he’s someone who fits the stature of United.“
| Martinez last season | Stats |
| Appearances | 37 |
| Clean sheets | 9 |
| Save percentage | 69% |
| Goals prevented | 1.16 |
Martinez has been an ever-present and a leader in the team since joining from Arsenal, but was recently denied the captain’s armband by John McGinn at the weekend.
- Read more: Unai Emery told off by fourth official for what he did on touchline in Aston Villa win vs Bologna
Marco Bizot looks to provide competition for the number one shirt
Bizot got the nod against Bologna in the opening fixture of Villa‘s Europa League campaign, with Martinez missing out due to injury.
Emery brought the Dutch shot-stopper to the club early in the summer window from Stade Brestois.
The newcomer and Martinez have been sharing the gloves so far with the manager alternating his keeper game by game.
Both keepers have started four games so far this season, all of the Argentine’s minutes have come in the Premier League, while Bizot has started two league games and both cup ties.
It’s an issue Emery needs to fix with a consistent face behind the backline, usually being the best recipe for success.
However, who that will be remains to be decided.
Enjoyed this article? Stay connected with all the latest Aston Villa news, updates, and behind-the-scenes content by following us on our new Instagram account – @villanews247