Martinez is arguably not as imperious as he once was. But it is difficult to pinpoint exactly why.
A World Cup winner with Argentina in 2022, having joined Villa for £17m in 2020, he has been one of the club’s best performers.
This season, though, the cracks have begun to show – for which it is easy to blame his failed move to United.
An emotional Martinez appeared to be saying goodbye after Villa’s final home game of last season, against Tottenham in May.
Villa were open to letting him leave, looking at Brentford‘s Mark Flekken among others, but then Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim lost the battle to bring him to Old Trafford.
United’s data suggested Senne Lammens was going to be one of Europe’s best, that although he…