Zion Suzuki has big boots to fill at Aston Villa after replacing Emiliano Martinez - three years after he turned down the chance of developing at Manchester United

Aston Villa keeper Zion Suzuki took the long road to the Premier League after turning down Manchester United.

Suzuki, 24, admits he has got big shoes to fill after being brought in to replace Emiliano Martinez but the World Cup star is ready for the challenge.

Japan No1 Suzuki snubbed a move to Old Trafford three years ago when United wanted to sign him to be understudy to Andre Onana. But Suzuki was brave enough to move from Urawa Red Diamonds to Belgian club Sint-Truiden because he wanted regular game time to help his progression.

Within a year Suzuki had earned himself a move to Parma and he is now regarded as one of the best keepers in the world which is why Villa paid £30m for him this summer.

Suzuki said: “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.

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“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 fans immediately sang “Zion Suzuki - the world’s No1” during his Villa Park debut against Arsenal on Monday night.

That was what they used to chant at Martinez before his £7.5m switch to Chelsea and they were clearly determined to make Suzuki feel at home.

The Japan keeper shone at the World Cup before his nation were knocked out by Brazil but Suzuki admits following on from Martinez is a big ask. Their paths at Villa crossed over briefly before Martinez’s departure last week.

Suzuki said: “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.

“I trained with him a little bit. He is a good person and I learned from him. It was a short time but I did learn from him. I am looking forward to playing against him now.”

Suzuki says that he is now relishing the chance to play under Unai Emery and also in the Champions League for Villa. He is being encouraged to play out from the back which suits him even if Villa lost to Arsenal on his debut.

He added: “I am enjoying playing for him (Emery). What he wants is really interesting. It is my style. I tried to make some chances with my feet against Arsenal. It didn’t lead to a goal but I want to keep doing that.

“It was a difficult game. It was my debut but I wanted the win. We lost, so I am disappointed. But the manager said it is a process. We need to learn from defeats. Today we respected them but we lost and need to learn from this game and move forward.

“The Champions League is the best league and I am really looking forward to it. But first I want to get the first win in the Premier League. We want to get some momentum and go for the Champions League.”