Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez trained alongside his Chelsea teammates for the first time since undergoing surgery to repair a fractured jaw, wearing a protective mask over the injured area, cuestionentrerriana.com.ar reported.
The goalkeeper missed Chelsea’s last three matches after the collision that sidelined him, but completed a full session with the group this week, according to tn.com.ar and la100.cienradios.com. Whether he is ready to return to matches remains undecided.
The collision against Everton on Oct. 17
The injury occurred during Chelsea’s Premier League match against Everton on Oct. 17. In the second half, Martínez came out to catch a cross and collided head-on with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite. He lay on the turf and received medical attention for several minutes before being taken off on a stretcher and transferred to a hospital, where imaging confirmed the jaw fracture that required immediate surgery, the outlets reported. Doctors initially estimated a recovery period of close to six weeks. (Video: ESPN / Photo: Reuters)
After the operation, Martínez posted a message to his followers on social media: “Thanks everyone for the messages. The operation went well. The most important thing is that we won and kept a clean sheet. We’ll be back in a few weeks.”
Return to training
Just over two weeks after going under the knife, he was back on the training pitch, completing a gym session before joining his teammates, Chelsea said, according to tn.com.ar. The return came on Wednesday. British press reports cited by the Argentine outlets said he trained normally with the squad while wearing the mask to protect his jaw.
The Daily Mail reported that Martínez is pushing to reclaim his starting spot and play again as soon as possible, but the final call belongs to manager Xabi Alonso, who will assess whether the goalkeeper is fully recovered before returning him to competition.
Alonso holds the decision on a Nov. 8 return
Alonso left the door open when asked about Martínez’s availability for the next Premier League matchday. “Yes, there’s a possibility. We still have to wait until next week, but we’ll see how he evolves,” the Spanish manager said, according to cuestionentrerriana.com.ar and tn.com.ar.
Unless something changes, Belgian goalkeeper Mike Penders is expected to remain the starter this Sunday, Nov. 8, when Chelsea hosts Sunderland, the outlets reported.
Argentina call-up adds another clock
The medical progress is also being watched at the Argentina national team’s training base in Ezeiza. Head coach Lionel Scaloni has called Martínez up for the national team’s friendly matches against Uruguay on Nov. 13 and Costa Rica on Nov. 17, meaning his fitness will be evaluated on two fronts in the coming weeks, cuestionentrerriana.com.ar reported.
The next checkpoint on record is Chelsea’s match against Sunderland on Nov. 8, where Alonso’s fitness decision on Martínez will determine whether Penders keeps the goal.
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