Emi Martínez to undergo jaw surgery after Everton clash; set to miss Tottenham and Liverpool
Chelsea goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez will undergo surgery on a jaw injury suffered in the 2-0 win at Everton on Saturday, and is expected to miss at least a fortnight under FA concussion protocols.
Chelsea goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez is to undergo surgery on a jaw injury suffered during Saturday’s 2-0 Premier League win at Everton, and is expected to miss at least a fortnight under the Football Association’s concussion protocols.
The Argentine was stretchered off in the second half after a clash of heads with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite and taken to hospital for precautionary tests. Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso confirmed after the final whistle that his goalkeeper had left the stadium conscious and had sustained a concussion, according to Sports Mole.
Argentine journalist Gastón Edul reported, via football.london, that scans of the goalkeeper’s head, back and neck came back clear of major complications, but that doctors had diagnosed a significant jawbone injury requiring surgery and an extended hospital stay.
Under the FA’s head-injury regulations, a concussed player must observe a 48-hour rest period before beginning a graduated six-stage return to play, ruling Martínez out for at least two weeks. That timetable would rule him out of the Premier League meeting with Tottenham Hotspur and the Carabao Cup tie against Liverpool, with the trip to Manchester United on October 31 also in serious doubt.
Should he miss those games, Mike Penders — who stepped off the bench to help preserve the clean sheet at Everton — is likely to deputise.
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Sources
- Sports Mole: https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/chelsea/injury-news/news/games-martinez-could-miss-as-chelsea-learn-gk-fate_607136.html
- football.london (via Sports Mole) for the Gastón Edul report
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