Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has conceded that he is still unsure if Emiliano Martinez will feature against Liverpool on Sunday.
The 30-year-old was replaced at half-time in our win over Hibernian in the first leg of our Europa Conference League play-off round tie last week due to a calf injury, and he has now missed our last two games against Burnley and Hibs respectively with the issue.
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While Emery has previously downplayed the severity of the problem, the fact that it has continued to rule Martinez out is a concern, and the Spanish tactician has now admitted that although he is hopeful that Martinez will be available, it’s unclear at this stage if he will travel to Anfield with the rest of the squad.
“Hopefully he will be playing on Sunday, but I don’t know if he will be playing or not,” he is quoted as saying by BirminghamLive’s John Townley.
Martinez was included in the Argentina squad for the upcoming international break, and so that would suggest that if he’s fit enough to travel with them, he should be available this weekend.
However, it appears as though it may be another late fitness test for the World Cup winner to determine his availability, as it would be a huge boost for us to have him back between the posts given his experience, leadership and qualities at the back.
Time will tell though if the Liverpool game comes too soon with the risk of aggravating the problem, and whether or not he is still passed fit enough to report for duty with Argentina and potentially even play for them this month.
While it’s positive that Emery is hopeful that he will be able to bring him back into his starting XI – thus suggesting that it isn’t a serious blow – it remains to be seen if we have to wait until after the break to see Martinez in action again.
Meanwhile, the Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell has reported that Emery also revealed in his post-match press conference that Bertrand Traore missed the win over Hibernian on Thursday night due to a ‘small injury’, and so it also remains to be seen when he’s available again to provide important depth.
Albeit he is expected to play a very limited role this season, he’s an important option to have off the bench at times in order to allow Emery to rotate and give others a rest when needed, as well as bringing a different dynamic to our attack.
Having missed our pre-season schedule with an injury issue, the fact that he has sustained another setback, regardless of its severity, must be a bitter blow for him, and so it’s hoped that he can make a swift and full recovery to be available again as soon as possible.
