Bruno Fernandes left top Man Utd target red-faced as awkward £40m reunion on the cards

Bruno Fernandes could find himself in a tricky situation if Manchester United decide to sign Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez, given their fiery past encounters. The Red Devils appear to be on the hunt for a new shot-stopper before the summer transfer window closes, following a series of disappointing performances from current first-team duo Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir.

United are still reportedly in discussions to sign Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp, but another name being associated with a move to Old Trafford is Villa's World Cup champion, Martinez. The 32-year-old, who is reportedly earning an eye-watering £200,000 per week at Villa Park, expressed his desire for a change of scenery towards the end of last year, and United had previously declined the opportunity to sign him earlier this summer due to his hefty wage demands. However, it now appears that a renewed bid in the region of £40million could be on the cards before Monday's deadline. If Martinez does become Ruben Amorim's new first-choice keeper, club captain Fernandes might need to have a frank discussion, as the pair have had indirect confrontations in the past.

In 2021, Martinez, who had joined the Villans the previous summer, ruffled feathers at Old Trafford with his behaviour during a Fernandes penalty kick. United were down 1-0 when they were awarded a penalty, and the Portuguese star stepped up late, hoping to secure a dramatic draw.

However, Fernandes' last-minute attempt soared high and wide, much to the delight of all Villa players. Martinez was particularly overjoyed with the miss and rather boldly turned around to perform a dance in front of the home fans, taunting those in the Stretford End.

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Martinez also made an effort to distract Fernandes before he took his penalty, engaging in conversation with multiple United players. It was even suggested that he gestured towards Cristiano Ronaldo, possibly questioning why he wasn't the one stepping up for the crucial penalty kick.

Fernandes and Martinez continued to cross paths in the years that followed, and in January 2022, a goalkeeping blunder allowed the Portuguese player to get his revenge.

Just six minutes into a clash at Villa Park, Fernandes launched a long-range free-kick that seemed straightforward for Martinez. However, the goalkeeper fumbled the ball through his own legs, embarrassingly handing the visitors the lead.

Fernandes added a second after half-time before goals from Jacob Ramsey and Philippe Coutinho secured a draw for Villa, but the encounters between United's captain and Martinez were far from over.

The following season, when Martinez's team returned to Old Trafford, another goalkeeping mistake stole the headlines. In the 39th minute, Martinez weakly deflected a Marcus Rashford shot into Fernandes' path.

The midfielder capitalised on this and had the final say as United clinched the match 1-0. Despite the links to Lammers, Martinez and Fernandes could now potentially join forces. However, Amorim recently played down the need for a new goalkeeper.

Following United's initial 1-0 loss to Arsenal, where the only goal came from a corner mishandled by starting goalkeeper Bayindir, Amorim was questioned about his goalkeepers and maintained his satisfaction.

"I'm happy with the three goalkeepers," Amorim declared. "He [Bayindir] chooses to get the ball, but he's getting pushed. That is my feeling when I see the play."

The manager also responded to queries about Onana's absence, stating: "I didn't drop Onana from the squad. It's not the case of dropping Onana. It's not putting Andre Onana in just one week without seeing the game, without time, with training. Tom [Heaton] and Bayindir, during the preseason, they did a good job."