Agent says Erik ten Hag rejected chance to sign Yashin Trophy winner at Man Utd, he instantly regretted it

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Manchester United rejected the chance to sign the 2023 Yashin Trophy winner last summer but passed it up for the current number one.

For Manchester United, 2023 saw quite a bit of change as for the first time in over a decade, the club’s leading goalkeeper was not David de Gea.

Andre Onana arrived as the replacement and despite a rocky start, he has endeared himself to the fanbase with his heroics for much of the season as Erik ten Hag’s side struggled defensively.

But now it’s been claimed that Onana wasn’t the only option and in fact, another player was seen as a better choice, according to his own agent.

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Gonzalo Goni says Erik ten Hag rejected Emi Martinez

Summer 2023 saw Manchester United searching for a new goalkeeper after De Gea’s departure, a search which ultimately ended in Onana becoming the new No.1 by name – although he donned the No.24.

But now, it has been revealed by Emiliano Martinez’s agent, Gonzalo Goni that another option for United was the Argentine shot-stopper before ultimately Onana was opted for by Ten Hag.

He explained this to ESPN Argentina.

“Today he is in one of the best projects, last year he was very close to Manchester United, the coach opted for Onana, because he already knew him.”

Following this, Goni claimed that those within Old Trafford came to regret the move with Yashin Trophy-winning Martinez the ‘ideal’ goalkeeper.

“But everyone later at Manchester United maintained that the ideal goalkeeper to win was Emiliano Martínez.”

This coming from Martinez’s agent himself does seem a little like he’s building PR for his client and saving face, but after the poor start Onana had, this could very well have been the immediate reaction from the club.

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Andre Onana v Emiliano Martinez season stats 2023/24

After the shambolic defending that Onana had to put up with, this shouldn’t be a fair comparison considering Martinez’s Villa qualified for the Champions League in fourth.

Martinez v Onana 23/24 Premier League

From the figures above, both goalkeepers had fairly similar campaigns in the Premier League, but judging by how many shots Onana saved and at such a high percentage, he takes the edge and many fans will agree that he impressed.

We’re glad Onana was chosen over Martinez as the Argentine is far from impressive considering how solid the Aston Villa defence was.

With a strong back four ahead of him, next season could see Onana look even better and we cannot wait to see it in action.