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EMI MARTINEZ INJURY UPDATE: CAN ASTON VILLA STAR RECOVER IN TIME FOR MAN UTD

Emi Martinez vs Man Utd: From failed summer transfers to a race for fitness, get the full story on Villa’s No. 1 right here.

Emi Martinez Injury Update: Can Aston Villa Star Recover in Time for Man Utd
Huge Team News Ahead of Villa Park Man Utd Clash

This weekend, Aston Villa is playing Manchester United at Villa Park, but there's a question mark over whether their goalie, Emi Martinez, will be well enough to play.

He had to leave the Brighton game early this month during warm-ups. He did play against Arsenal a few days later, but then he was out for the West Ham game and the Europa League game against Basel. So, people are wondering if he’s ready to start again.

Apparently, Martinez wanted to move to Manchester United over the summer, so he might want to play well if he gets the chance.

Also, he got a red card the last time these teams played because of a foul on Rasmus Hojlund, which kind of hurt Villa's chances of getting into the Champions League.

It turns out Martinez has been dealing with a back injury for a few weeks now, which is why he hasn't been playing.

On December 14, the Villa coach, Unai Emery, said that he was hoping Martinez could start training the following week before the Manchester United game.

We'll have to wait and see if that happened and if Emery thinks he’s ready to go.

Emery seems to trust the backup goalie, Marco Bizot, but he has allowed six goals in the last three games he’s played.

Even though Villa has won all three of those games, they can still win even if Martinez isn't playing.

StadiumNest thinks Villa would prefer to have Martinez back for this game, but they've been playing well lately, so they might be okay either way.

Emery’s team has won nine games in a row and has been dealing with other injuries, too, not just Martinez. So, they're looking strong.

Since Manchester United just had a 4-4 tie with Bournemouth, and Bizot hasn't been playing great, Martinez being out could mean there will be a lot of goals scored.

Transfermarkt says Martinez is worth about €15 million.

MANAGER'S VERDICT: THOMAS FRANK DEMANDS DISCIPLINE FROM DJED SPENCE AHEAD OF LIVERPOOL CLASH

Thomas Frank demands Djed Spence "learn" from his petulant outbursts, while Europa League hero Brennan Johnson eyes a January exit.

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Thomas Frank Issues Final Warning To Djed Spence

Thomas Frank mentioned that Djed Spence from Tottenham knows his reaction at Nottingham Forest didn't look great, which wasn't good, and hopes he'll learn from it.

Spence, who's 25, seemed confused when he was taken off during the 3-0 defeat at the City Ground. This is the second time this season the player has made headlines because of how he reacted to Spurs boss Frank.

Micky van de Ven and Spence seemed to ignore Frank's instructions to clap for the home fans after a 1-0 loss to Chelsea on Nov. 1. The two apologised. The ex-Brentford head coach suggested this can't happen again.

I talked to him. He wasn't happy because he thought he was subbed off because of an injury, but that wasn't it, or that we thought he had one, Frank said.

I guess he's been talked about twice now, which isn't ideal since we have to spend time on it here in the press conference. It's better if that doesn't happen.

These are two times when he knows it didn't look good, and we're talking about young guys here.

Is he 24 or 25? There's a lot of focus and pressure, and sometimes you mess up, but you learn from it. You should learn and do better next time.

Spence should start when Liverpool visits Tottenham on Saturday, but Brennan Johnson might be on the bench again.

Johnson not playing much has led to rumours about a January move. Even though Frank seemed to suggest he wants to keep last season's top scorer, the player from Wales hasn't been used as a substitute in two of the last four league games.

When asked if he wants Johnson to stay, Frank replied, 'Yeah, I think we will be playing often, so it's good to have enough players.'

I'm happy with Brennan in general. He practised well [Friday]. Before, we said that he's had some good games on the right, and [Mohammed] Kudus came in, so there's more competition there. It's not that he can't play on the left.

I'm happy with Brennan. I'm happy with everyone on the team. It's just that I can only play 11, sadly.

SELECTION ALERT: SEAN DYCHE DISMISSES DOUGLAS LUIZ APPEARANCE CLAUSE AHEAD OF FULHAM CLASH

Sean Dyche insists he won't be pressured by Douglas Luiz's loan clause as Nottingham Forest battles a mounting midfield crisis.

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The Truth Behind Douglas Luiz’s "Obligation To Buy" At Forest

Sean Dyche says his Nottingham Forest team picks won't be because of any clause in Douglas Luiz’s loan deal.

Luiz is spending the season at the City Ground on loan from Juventus. His deal has a condition where Forest would have to sign him for good in the summer, likely based on how many games he plays.

Right now, it doesn't look like Forest will hit that mark. Reports from Italy say Luiz needs to play at least 45 minutes in 15 Premier League games to trigger it. Club bosses are watching the situation, but Dyche is clear that he's not paying much attention to it. He'll keep picking Luiz when he thinks it's the right move for the team.

“Totally. I can manage the team how I want. The bosses have made that clear, especially when it comes to picking the team,” Dyche said before Monday’s game at Fulham.

“The contracts don't matter to me. Other people handle that.

“They let me do my job. We talk about the big stuff – players who might come or go, that kind of thing.

“I don’t need to know all the small print in the contracts. They let me focus on picking the players I think should be playing.”

Luiz has only started four games and come off the bench once for Forest in the Premier League. A hamstring injury has slowed him down, and he's still working to get back in shape. The goal is for him to play as well as he did when he was at Aston Villa.

The 27-year-old was great in the West Midlands. But his big move to Juve in 2024 didn’t go as planned. Still, there’s no argument about how good he is.

With Ibrahim Sangare away on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations and Ryan Yates out injured, Forest doesn't have many players in the middle of the pitch. Sangare has been starting a lot recently, so maybe Luiz will get a chance to play more now.

“It depends on him as much as us,” Dyche said about Luiz getting back to his best. “He knows that.

“He’s been around for a while and knows what he needs to do to play well. He is a very good player. We've all seen it.

“He seems to be enjoying his time here now. Hopefully, that continues.

“He was unlucky to get injured when we first got here. But he is talented.

“He’s getting used to how we do things, even though he's been out for a bit. He says he’s enjoying it here.

“He is a good player, and we want him to play when he’s ready. But we need to make sure he's in good shape. He's not quite there yet, but he's getting closer.”

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