Alan Hutton feels Aston Villa should have taken Emi Martinez off straight away in Newcastle defeat
We’re delighted to welcome former Aston Villa full-back Alan Hutton as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Villa Park.
Alan Hutton feels Emiliano Martínez shouldn’t have continued playing after colliding with Tyrone Mings in the first half of Newcastle’s 4-0 victory over Aston Villa.
Martinez took a blow to the head in the 35th minute and attempted to play on before being replaced by Villa’s number two Robin Olsen.
Hutton believes that if Villa’s medical staff had seen a replay, they would’ve taken him off there and then to prevent any further harm to the Argentine.
“Head injuries are such a delicate talking point and initially I didn’t think there was much to it,” Hutton exclusively told Villa News.
“When I saw Tyrone’s knee slam into the side of his head I thought it looked a really bad one and I know the fans were up in arms about how long it was taking but it did look a real sore one.
“It depends if the doctor and staff at Villa saw the replay and understood how bad it really was, I think if they were to see the replay they would have taken him off there and then. You have to go along with what the players is saying at times, he was obviously saying he was okay, and the staff had done all the checks.
“There are protocols that they have to go through with head knocks and initially he looked fine. My initial thought was it was such a heavy hit and that he should have gone off straight away.”
The decision to keep Martinez on the pitch has come under intense criticism, with Chris Sutton the latest pundit to question the protection of players.
Luckily, the 30-year-old was okay after the incident and hasn’t suffered any longer lasting damage from the collision with his teammate.
In other Aston Villa news, this player is now surely undroppable from the Villans’ side after being the star man amid a flight of injuries.