Overview
- Saturday's medical exams confirmed a small fracture to Emiliano 'Dibu' Martínez's right ring finger that occurred during the warm-up before the Europa League final, and he still played the full 90 minutes as Aston Villa beat Freiburg 3-0.
- Doctors have ruled out surgery and set an approximate 20-day recovery that will require rest for the injured hand and a tailored rehabilitation program while he continues differentiated physical work.
- The estimated timeline makes it unlikely Martínez will travel for Argentina's pre-World Cup friendlies against Honduras on June 6 and Iceland on June 9.
- Argentina's FA and the national team medical staff say they remain optimistic he can be available for the team's World Cup opener on June 16 versus Algeria, and they will monitor his hand in the next weeks.
- Martínez, 33, is Argentina's established starter and a World Cup winner, so his missing the friendlies gives backups match time and forces the staff to balance hand protection with keeping his overall match fitness intact.