Manchester United successfully offloaded Sancho thanks to Rashford, persuading his friend to join Villa! Sancho's move also affected Martinez

Sancho has moved from Manchester United to Aston Villa, finalizing the transfer at the last moment on September 1. The Red Devils are certainly relieved because although other clubs showed keen interest, he was unwilling to transfer—yet when Villa appeared, he agreed immediately.

According to "Open Stand," Chelsea, Juventus, Roma, and Napoli nearly reached agreements with Sancho, but due to his high salary demands, these deals fell through. Villa's success is largely credited to Rashford, the Manchester United star who was loaned to the club last season.

Premier League transfer expert Graeme Bailey revealed that Rashford spoke with Sancho before the deal was finalized, praising life at Villa Park and persuading his friend to choose a loan move to the club. After being loaned to Villa last season, Rashford became a key player and attracted Barcelona's attention through his Champions League knockout performances; he is now on loan at Camp Nou.

Bailey explained, "I heard Sancho talked with Rashford before completing the deal because he needed reassurance. Rashford showed strong support for Sancho's potential loan and explained what to expect next, which influenced Sancho's decision to transfer."

Rashford told Sancho that coach Emery excels at revitalizing players' careers and helping talented but inconsistent players reach their best form, using himself and PSG's Asensio as examples. Notably, when Rashford made his Villa debut earlier this year, Sancho expressed a sense of 'freedom.'

The 25-year-old Sancho ultimately agreed to join Villa but kept an option open by accepting only a one-season loan instead of a permanent transfer. This dashed the hopes of 32-year-old Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez for a move to the Red Devils.

Martínez had hoped to join Manchester United all summer and reached a personal agreement with the club on August 31. He told Villa he wanted to go to Old Trafford, even angering Emery in the process.

On the summer transfer deadline day, September 1, Martínez stayed at Villa's training ground, Bodymoor Heath, waiting for the call from Manchester United confirming the transfer, but the phone never rang. He even asked his Argentine teammate and United defender Lisandro Martínez to help plead his case, which Lisandro did.

Insiders revealed that Martínez had discussions with Amorebieta about a possible transfer in June and July; the Manchester United manager believed his personality and experience would benefit the team. United initially sought to loan Martínez but were rejected by Villa. At the last moment of the transfer window, United approached Martínez again, but since Sancho only agreed to a loan, the club ultimately chose 23-year-old Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens.

Lammens plays a different position than Martínez. After joining Manchester United, he will compete with André Onana and Altay Bayındır, whereas Martínez would have become the new first-choice goalkeeper if transferred. From a purely financial perspective, signing Martínez was more difficult for United, as he renewed his contract last summer until 2029, earns more than Onana, and Villa demanded over £30 million in transfer fees.

With the transfer window closed, Martínez gave up completely. He left Villa's training base and flew back to Argentina to join Lionel Scaloni's national team, preparing for World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Ecuador.

Martínez can still seek a move away from Villa since transfer windows remain open in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and other leagues, but it seems unlikely he will get another chance to become Manchester United's number one. If he returns to play for Villa at the end of this month, Martínez will have two new teammates from Manchester United: Sancho and Sweden's "Ice Man" Lindelöf.