Unai Emery, the manager of Aston Villa, has admitted that he is unsure whether Emiliano Martinez will play against Liverpool on Sunday.
Due to a calf injury, the 30-year-old was removed at half-time in our win against Hibernian in the first leg of our Europa Conference League play-off round encounter last week, and he has now missed our previous two games against Burnley and Hibs.
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, while he is hopeful that Martinez will be available, it is unclear if he will travel to Anfield with the rest of the squad at this time.
“Hopefully he’ll be playing on Sunday, but I don’t know if he will or not,” he told BirminghamLive’s John Townley.
Martinez was named to Argentina’s team for the upcoming international break, so if he’s fit enough to fly with them, he should be available this weekend.
However, it appears like the World Cup winner will need another late fitness test to decide his availability, since having him back between the posts would be a major boost for us considering his experience, leadership, and talents at the back.
Time will tell if the Liverpool game comes too soon, perhaps exacerbating the injury, and if he is still cleared to report for duty with Argentina and potentially play for them this month.
While it’s encouraging that Emery is hoping to get Martinez back into his starting lineup, implying that the injury isn’t significant, it remains to be seen if we’ll have to wait until after the break to see Martinez in action again.
Meanwhile, the Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell reports that Emery stated in his post-match press conference that Bertrand Traore missed the win over Hibernian on Thursday night due to a’small injury,’ so it’s unclear when he’ll be available to give key depth again.
Despite the fact that he is likely to play a very limited part this season, he is a vital alternative to have off the bench at times to allow Emery to rotate and rest others when necessary, as well as provide a different dynamic to our assault.
After missing our pre-season program due to an injury, the fact that he has suffered another setback, no matter how severe, must be a bitter blow for him, and it is hoped that he can make a full recovery and be available again as soon as possible.
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