Full details as Emi Martinez pulls out of Feyenoord vs Aston Villa clash just minutes before kick-off
Emi Martinez was pulled out of the Aston Villa starting line-up to face Feyenoord just minutes before kick-off.
The Villans secured a 1-0 win against Feyenoord in their second Europa League clash of the campaign, a week after Villa beat Bologna 1-0 in their opening league phase match.
Unai Emery named a strong starting 11, making three changes to the Villa side that secured victory over Fulham last time out.
It was initially a boost to the B6 club to see the Argentina international in from the start after Martinez missed Villa’s clash with Bologna last week.
This excitement was short-lived as Martinez withdrew from the squad at the 11th hour. Here’s why.
Emi Martinez drops out of Aston Villa squad vs Feyenoord
John McGinn snubbed Martinez against Fulham as the Scot opted to hand Ezri Konsa the captain’s armband as he came off.
This raised questions at Villa Park over the relationship within the squad towards the 33-year-old after his summer transfer antics.
The ex-Arsenal man was still named in the starting lineup to face the Dutch side in what would have been his first Europa League appearance for the Villans.
Villa fans then spotted Marco Bizot walking out with Villa before kick-off, leaving all supporters baffled.
This was soon confirmed by the claret and blue outfit on social media, with little explanation as to why the number one was now absent.
There were concerns in the pre-match warm-up about why Martinez was opting not to catch the ball, as he spent more time simply watching on.
TNT Sports host Jules Breach has since revealed during the half-time break that the decision to withdraw the shot-stopper was due to an injury, later confirmed to be a calf problem in the second half.
Martinez is becoming a liability for Aston Villa
Martinez has largely been a reliable operator for Villa, but he has been slammed for dropping out of squads too easily at times.
After already missing the first Europa League game, it is a kick in the teeth to see him missing once again in the Netherlands.
Any suggestion that this is due to becoming cup-tied is ridiculous, largely because there are no such restrictions in place for European competition.
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