‘He’s ready’: Smith hints 28-year-old could make Aston Villa debut

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Aston Villa will begin their Premier League campaign on Monday against Sheffield United at home. The Villans will be looking for a good start to the season and are likely to feature a new face to help them achieve that.

Villa signed Emiliano Martinez from Arsenal earlier this week for £17 million (BBC). The Argentine was one of the most impressive players in the final few games of the Premier League last season and it was a surprise to see the Gunners let him leave.

Dean Smith’s side has suffered a few problems in goal. Tom Heaton’s injury forced Villa to bring in Pepe Reina for the second half of last season but the Spaniard returned to Italy at the end of the campaign.

Martinez wanted regular game time, something he wasn’t guaranteed at Arsenal. At Villa, however, he should be able to nail down the number one role comfortably. Although Smith has revealed Martinez has to earn it.

He told the Birmingham Mail: “He’s ready to play, whether he’s our automatic number one depends on what he does in training and matches. He played against us a couple of weeks ago for Arsenal, so we know he’s ready to play.

“He’s played in the Community Shield as well so he’s probably had more games than our (other) goalkeepers so far. In terms of readiness, he’s 100 per cent. He has to go and earn the shirt – all the players know that. You don’t get many opportunities to get a goalkeeper of his calibre at this stage of his career.”

Martinez played 23 games in all competitions for Arsenal last season and kept nine clean sheets. The Argentine was a major force behind the Gunners winning the FA Cup and Community Shield, and he could make a huge difference for Villa this term.

Smith’s side has a good opportunity to get some points early on. Sheffield United looked surprisingly poor in their opener against Wolves last week, while Villa travel to Fulham for their second league fixture, which also looks a winnable game.

Martinez will look to continue from where he left off last season. A good start to his Villa career will give him the confidence to stay solid throughout the season, something he is more than capable of doing.