Cristiano Ronaldo at centre of Emi Martinez tactics after brutal jibe to Bruno Fernandes

Old Trafford is set to host what could be Emiliano Martinez's grand curtain call for Aston Villa, as the 32-year-old keeper contemplates his future following an emotional victory over Spurs at the fabled Theatre of Dreams.

Though it's not his home ground of Villa Park, Old Trafford holds a special place in Martinez's heart - the scene of last week's tears of joy after Villa's 2-0 win signals a significant venue for the World Cup-winning goalie.

A titan between the sticks, Martinez is heralded for his commanding presence and penalty-saving prowess, with former coach Neil Cutler lauding the crucial role he played in polishing Martinez's talent.

Cutler reminisced about a defining episode that saw Martinez don the mantle of the archetypal villain during a tense match at Manchester United in 2021, telling the Mirror: "The one big moment to start with was Manchester United away in 2021, they got a late penalty and Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo were the two players in conversation.

"Emi said to Ronaldo, 'no I want you to take it, he's rubbish' because we knew we could get into Fernandes because of how emotional he can get."

The mind game paid off spectacularly as Fernandes fluffed the pivotal shot, marking the inception of Martinez's love for the psychological duel, Cutler revealed: "Fernandes then missed and that's where it all first started, Emi got joy from it and all of a sudden he realised he could talk people out of it and put them off.

"It then becomes about doing anything you possibly can to gain those small advantages."

Cutler, the former Wolves coach who departed his role last December, was pivotal in Aston Villa's strategic signing of Martinez during the competitive summer of 2021, outmanoeuvring other interested clubs including Brighton.

Cutler engaged in extensive conversations with Martinez well before the deal was sealed, plotting a course to elevate the ex-Arsenal goalkeeper's career which had previously been inconsistent.

Cutler remarked: "I'm big on building relationships really quickly in order to help players progress in every aspect. We talked every single day for a long time before he arrived.

"It was just so he understood the kind of person I am, I'm empathetic, caring and I like to work on them as people, not just goalkeepers.

"I think it was the perfect match because he was ready to go as a No.1 in the Premier League and push on from there.

"We spoke a lot about getting him in the Argentina squad, we had that same drive so there was a lot of talk between us on where we wanted him to go and how we'd get there.

"We hit it off straight away and he inspired my desire to improve as a coach."

Martinez was so impressed by Cutler that he extended an invitation to him to join Argentina's pre-World Cup training camp in Miami in 2022.

"We pushed forward together and he's massive on development, he's like a sponge,every day he just wants to get better and better," Cutler concluded.

At first, he appeared to exude frustration more than psychological resilience, often slumping his shoulders while on the pitch. But through dedicated coaching, Cutler transformed the player's demeanour.

He explained: "We worked on how you can portray confidence to the point of arrogance, we worked a lot on his posture, how he walks, how he talks so it always seemed like he's the best goalkeeper in the world.

"It was about always showing it, always feeling it and he really took that on."

Cutler is about to become the first football coach to offer bespoke, virtual sessions via Skillest, an online platform originally set up to connect golf students worldwide.