Last weekend, Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez was replaced after the first half in the Villans’ defeat to Chelsea.
Two days ago, we covered claims from Argentina which said the 32-year-old had fractured a finger, with the seriousness played down.
On Wednesday, the Argentina international played the full 90 minutes in Aston Villa’s 3-1 win over Brentford.
TyC Sports, who have been sharing updates on his fitness, provide a background into how the stopper was able to feature for Aston Villa yesterday.
The Aston Villa medical staff had indicated the World Cup winner would miss some games, but that ‘mattered little to him’. He didn’t want to miss a tie and asked Unai Emery to start him against the Bees.
Olé are also reporting the South American asked the Villans manager to consider him for selection.
In the final training session before Wednesday’s tie, he ‘responded well’, after training with a ‘special bandage’. This would have convinced Emery to start Martínez at Villa Park.
According to Olé, the Aston Villa medical staff have ruled out surgery for his fractured finger. At the same time, they have warned Martínez that a further blow to the same area could ‘aggravate’ the situation.
