Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has admitted that he “doesn’t know” whether Argentinian pair Emiliano Martinez and Emiliano Buendia will leave for international duty next week – but has singled out club record signing Buendia for praise following a 1-1 draw with Brentford at Villa Park. Buendia opened his account for Villa as he cancelled out Ivan Toney’s opener this afternoon, as the Bees went 1-0 ahead in front of the Holte End. The Argentine scored from the edge of the box, leaving goalkeeper David Raya no chance in preventing his strike on the 13th minute.
Dean Smith said: “There were really good signs from Emi. That’s why we bought him in, he played a delightful ball for Danny too in the second half which he couldn’t quite get on to, he showed glimpses today. We know the player we bought and the qualities he gives us, it’s about getting him relationships now and building those relationships. He’s not a replacement for Jack (Grealish), he’s a different player to Jack. He’s looking for fluidity and getting that understanding which will take time.”
If Buendia and Martinez do travel for Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers next month, both will miss Villa’s clashes against Chelsea and Everton.
