Aston Villa make transfer move amid Emi Martinez injury

Aston Villa are taking a closer look at a goalkeeper after taking him on trial.

It's been reported by the Lansdown Roar that Shaun Hall has recently spent time on trial at Villa. Hall is a 17-year-old goalkeeper and plays for St Patrick's Athletic in the League of Ireland.

He is yet to make his competitive debut for the club, however he was a part of the match day squad for their UEFA Conference League qualifer against FC Vaduz in the summer. Last year, Hall was crowned 'Best Goalkeeper' at the Le Havre U17 International tournament in France, which is regarded as a prestigious competition for players under the age of 18.

“Shaun is developing into a top young goalkeeper,” said Gerard O’ Brien, the Director of Football at St Pat’s to the Kildare Nationalist.

“We brought him into the St. Pat’s Academy at a very young age and his work rate and desire has given him a great chance of having a career in the game. Travelling with the first team to play Fac Vaduz is a fantastic reward for his work rate and qualities.

“Training and being around senior professionals like Joe Anang and Danny Rogers will only continue to help his development in the coming years.

“He is he is incredibly hard working, mentally strong and focussed, a true team player and he is happy to both lead and great too at taking direction”.

Premier League clubs are not allowed to sign under-18 players from abroad under new regulations after the UK left the European Union (EU) and so he would only be able to join when he turns 18 in September 2025.

Hall would be viewed as a signing for the future, with Villa having an abundance of options of goalkeepers. There are some doubts at the minute about the availability of current first-team goalkeeper Emi Martinez.

Martinez was forced off with an injury in the 3-0 defeat to Chelsea at the weekend. It was initially feared that he could be out for between two to three weeks, but that is not the case.

In his pre-match press conference yesterday, Unai Emeery said: “"He has a fissure (hairline fracture) in his hand (finger), we are going to train this afternoon and I don’t know how he is going to feel.

“It depends on the training today. He could be in for tomorrow or not."