Villa’s Argentina duo Emi Buendia and Emi Martinez back early as ban stays
Villa duo Emi Buendia and Emi Martinez have returned to the club ahead of schedule after failing to get international bans overturned.
The Argentina pair had travelled to meet up with their national team-mates in the hope a two-match suspension might be reduced to one by Fifa on appeal, allowing them to feature in today's World Cup qualifier against Ecuador.
But the appeal was rejected by the governing body, meaning Buendia and Martinez have returned to Bodymoor Heath to begin preparations for Saturday's derby at Wolves.
The pair were among four Argentina players sanctioned earlier this year after their failure to follow Covid protocols led to the abandonment of September's qualifier against Brazil.
Their early return is good news for Villa boss Steven Gerrard, who has been without the majority of his first-team squad during the international break.
Some of those players, including England duo Ollie Watkins and Tyrone Mings, are due back tomorrow. Leon Bailey will be the final player to return, with Jamaica not playing their final qualifier against Honduras until the early hours of tomorrow morning.
Gerrard gave those players not selected for international duty the option of working away from Bodymoor during the first week of the break, with each given an individual training programme to follow.
