Aston Villa fans have praised Emiliano Martinez for his comments on the club ahead of the new Premier League season.
The 28-year-old reminded Sky Sports that ‘Villa is a big club, mate’ as he shared that the club’s intentions are to finish in the top six.
It has been an outstanding summer for Martinez because he returns to B6 having guided Argentina to the Copa America title.
When one of the world’s greatest ever players in Lionel Messi is labelling you a ‘phenomenon’ then you know you have done something seriously special.
And now the Villa supporters will be hoping Martinez can bring some of that magic back to the domestic scene as Dean Smith’s side begin life without Jack Grealish.
What the Villa fans love about their £17 million player (BBC Sport) is how he understands the club despite only being their player for 12 months.
With Grealish out of the door, it has left the club’s captaincy post vacant.
And some supporters have suggested that Smith should hand their number one goalkeeper the armband.
Martinez won the Supporters’ Player of the Season award in his debut campaign, so that just goes to show how much he is loved by his own fans.
But given his recent comments, Martinez is only making himself that more popular at Villa Park.
Last season, he secured an impressive 15 clean sheets for the Midlands outfit, but he wasn’t able to surpass Brad Freidel’s Premier League record.
If he gets nears to that target or beats it next season then there’s no reason why Villa can’t dream about a possible European finish.
Here is a selection of Villa fans reacting to Martinez’s comments:
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