Zion Suzuki says the reason he rejected Manchester United three years ago was simple: he wanted to play. The 24-year-old has now landed at Aston Villa, who paid £30m for him this summer, and he says the route through Belgium and Serie A has left him ready to handle the pressure of replacing Emiliano Martínez.
Suzuki's move through Belgium and Serie A
"The priority was to play, that’s why I made the decision. I played in Belgium for one year and Parma for two years. I have been developing. It was very important to play in Serie A for two years. Now I am confident and I believe in myself," Suzuki told mirror.co.uk.
That is the part of the story that explains why Villa were comfortable backing him. Suzuki is 24, and he had already logged one year in Belgium and two at Parma before moving to England.
He has also framed the move in simple terms since arriving: "I made good steps and now I am here to play for this club. I am enjoying this moment. I want to help the team as much as possible. In the end, I am here. I am playing for Villa. That’s it. I wanted to come here and now I just want to play for this club."
Villa's pressure after Martinez
The challenge is bigger now than the old United decision. Suzuki has come into a Villa side listed second in the Premier League table, while United are 16th, and his debut came against Arsenal on Monday night.
He knows what comes with the job. "Yeah, of course there are so many expectations. It is not easy to play after him but I want to help the team and I want to be like him. It’s a good challenge for me," he said.
Villa fans also made the point in their own way, singing "Zion Suzuki - the world’s No1" during that debut. The more practical detail is that Villa have lost their last three matches, so the first job for Suzuki is to settle quickly and make the goalkeeper’s role look less exposed than it has in recent weeks.
He is already looking ahead to the next target, but the immediate task is more basic. Suzuki said, "But first I want to get the first win in the Premier League."
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
