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Garth Crooks has claimed that Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has been “outstanding” this season.

Martinez, who joined Villa from Arsenal in the summer, has quickly established himself as the number one for Dean Smith’s XI.

The 28-year-old is part of a team that are currently ninth in the Premier League table, but are dreaming of a European finish this season with games in hand on teams above them.

Villa returned to winning ways at the weekend with a 1-0 home victory over Arsenal and they travel to Brighton next on Saturday.

BBC pundit Crooks named Martinez in his Premier League team of the week segment after his performance against ex-club Arsenal.

“The free-kick from Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka was always going to be dangerous. Martinez had seen his former team-mate convert them from this distance before,” Crooks told BBC Sport.

“But the Aston Villa goalkeeper’s save was excellent. Martinez had a fair way to travel to get to the shot, which was heading for the top right-hand corner, but moved his feet brilliantly to get to the ball.

“The Argentine has been outstanding for Villa this season, with the exception of the recent game against West Ham, when I thought he might have done a little better.”

TBR’s View:

Martinez understandably impressed against former club Arsenal on the weekend and will have wanted to prove a point, but his level of performances have been high all season.

The Argentine is a commanding figure that dominates his box aerially, plus he’s shown he’s a shot-stopper with great reflexes.

He’s kept 11 clean sheets in 21 games since his transfer to Villa Park and has been performing like one of the league’s elite goalkeepers.