Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez appears to have cleared another important hurdle in his recovery. He suffered a fractured finger around the club’s Europa League final triumph.
The Argentine international finished the season by helping Unai Emery’s side lift European silverware. However, much of the discussion since then has focused on whether he would be fully fit in time for the World Cup.
Recent reports from Argentina suggested Martínez was still training with restrictions and had not yet been cleared for full goalkeeper sessions. Now, there has been another positive development.
Aston Villa goalkeeper back training with gloves
According to TyC Sports journalist Gastón Edul, Argentina’s medical staff have removed the cast from Martínez’s right hand. This happened after carrying out fresh examinations.
The Aston Villa player is recovering from a fracture to the ring finger on his right hand, an injury suffered during the warm-up before the Europa League final.
After initially being limited to fitness work and modified goalkeeper exercises, Martínez has now returned to training with gloves.
The report explains he participated normally during Thursday’s session. Although there was some visible discomfort early on, he was able to complete the work without issue.
Argentina’s coaching staff have gradually increased the demands placed on the goalkeeper over recent days. Earlier in the recovery process, he was restricted to footwork drills and exercises using only one hand. That stage now appears to be behind him.
World Cup green light
Emiliano Martínez is now expected to start Argentina’s opening World Cup match against Algeria.
That represents a significant turnaround given the uncertainty that surrounded the injury immediately after Aston Villa’s European success.
TyC Sports state there is no doubt about his place in the starting XI. This is despite the fact he did not feature in Argentina’s warm-up matches against Honduras and Iceland.
Martínez will reach the tournament opener 27 days after suffering the fracture. Therefore, he will have almost four weeks of recovery before returning to competitive action.
For Aston Villa, this latest update is likely the most encouraging yet. After weeks of rehabilitation, protective bandaging and restricted training, the club’s first-choice goalkeeper is now back working with gloves and appears to be approaching full fitness.
While Argentina will continue to manage his workload carefully, the signs increasingly point towards Martínez leaving the injury behind and beginning the World Cup as the country’s undisputed number one.
