Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has conceded that it’s unclear how serious the injury Emiliano Martinez suffered during our defeat to Chelsea this past weekend is.
The 32-year-old was forced off at half-time during our 3-0 loss at Stamford Bridge, having received treatment during the first-half before signalling to the bench that he couldn’t continue.
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It initially looked as though it was a back injury after an awkward landing as he collected a cross into his box, as Martinez was seen clutching the lower area of his back immediately after the incident, before taking a painkiller after the medical staff came on to take a look at him.
However, Emery has now revealed that it’s a hand issue, which could have occurred when Martinez made a stop to deny Nicolas Jackson from close-range, after initially gifting the ball to the Chelsea forward with a badly misplaced pass.
“I don’t know now what exactly his injury is,” Emery told reporters after the game. “It’s in his hand. We have to check him.”
Given the lack of detail, Villa now face an anxious wait to determine the severity of the issue, as it’s hoped that it’s merely a minor knock that requires treatment and doesn’t force him to miss any time.
That said, until those additional tests are carried out, it remains to be seen if Martinez can feature this week, as we have a busy schedule with two huge games coming up against Brentford and Southampton at home.
With our slump in form now extending to eight games without a win, those are two fundamental encounters in terms of how our season could go domestically, and to be without one of the most influential players in the team would be a major blow.
Aside from his elite shot-stopping ability, Martinez is a fundamental personality and character within the group, and at a time where we’re really struggling, we certainly don’t want to be without him for an extended period as we head into the festive run.
Emery is expected to provide an update on the Argentine international in the next 24 hours or so when he speaks to the media in his pre-match press conference, and it’s hoped that the Villa boss delivers positive news as we need to be at full strength for a pair of fixtures that could act as a catalyst to get our Premier League campaign back on track.
