Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez rushes back to Argentina to be at his dad’s bedside in hospital after a family emergency – but he will be available for clash against West Ham
- Emiliano Martinez jetted back to his native Argentina after the family emergency
- He shared a photo with his dad in hospital, but the group looked in good spirits
- It has been reported Alberto Martinez had surgery, with his son then flying home
- Martinez will be available for this weekend’s clash against high-flying West Ham
Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has rushed back to his native Argentina to visit his father in hospital after a family emergency – but will be available for this weekend’s clash against West Ham.
Martinez flew out to be at his dad’s bedside, and posted a photo of himself there on his Instagram account. Thankfully, the group looked to be in good spirits with Alberto posing for the camera with a thumbs up.
There were concerns that, due to the hurried nature of his trip and the nature of the emergency, the stopper would be absent on Sunday – but he will be able to feature.
Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez rushed back to Argentina to be by his dad’s bedside
Martinez will be available for this weekend’s clash against West Ham despite jetting out the UK
It has been reported that Alberto underwent surgery, and there was initial confusion over how long Martinez would remain with him before jetting back to the UK.
However, Villa boss Dean Smith has revealed that Martinez has already reported back, and he will also train before the visit of the Hammers.
‘Emi Martinez will be back training with us today, so I have no worries about his availability,’ Smith said at his press conference today.
Martinez (right) had been training individually in Ezeiza, the Argentina national team’s complex
To stay on top of his pre-match preparations, Martinez, 29, was training individually in Ezeiza, where the Argentina national team are based.
He shared another picture taken during his time at the state-of-the-art complex, and captioned it: ‘Thank you very much to the AFA and Chiqui Tapia for helping me in everything in these difficult days.’
With an in-form West Ham side Villa’s next test, Martinez would have been a big miss for Dean Smith, with the stalwart enjoying another superb campaign.
Reserve goalkeeper Jed Steer was set to step in between the sticks instead.
There was uncertainty over when Martinez is expected in the UK, but he will not quarantine
The changes to the UK’s travel restrictions mean that the former Arsenal man is able to return to action straight away, instead of quarantining.
Following the top-flight meeting with West Ham, Villa next face Southampton on November 5 – and Martinez will also be available for that fixture.
Meanwhile, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has stood by his decision to sell Martinez to Villa for £16million last summer, after he failed to hold down a regular starting spot.
Martinez’s eight-year spell at the Emirates was a largely frustrating one, but he has since gone on to flourish for both club and country.
‘We made decisions with the best possible interest of the club. But as well a big participant was Emi,’ Arteta said, when quizzed on his stopper.
‘He got to a point in his career where under me he started to play big games very well.
‘It was urgent for him because he wanted to play so long. He’s a great kid. I played with him I managed him. I can say that I’m happy for him.’
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