Unai Emery has encouraged Emiliano Martinez to readjust back to life at Aston Villa quickly after he helped Argentina win the World Cup.
The goalkeeper is now back at Aston Villa after he played brilliantly in Qatar as Argentina won the World Cup for the third time.
He is due to be available for Villa’s New Year’s Day game at Tottenham after missing their 3-1 Boxing Day loss to Liverpool.
But after his heroics in Doha – and controversial celebrations – Emery wants the 30-year-old to be ready emotionally.
“He is going to be available physically and his mentality we are going to check,” he said.
“Hopefully he is coming 100 per cent focused on Aston Villa. Of course he needs to adapt quickly again in our work.
“When Emiliano is coming back (he has) to adapt again in a new way with us.
“Congratulations to him and now we are here thinking of our step ahead with Aston Villa.
“For us we are proud of him. Every Aston Villa supporter must be proud of him. We have in our team and our squad a winner of a World Cup, which he deserves.
“He is pushing his team-mates on the training ground every day.
“When he is coming back we have to try to introduce him again into our everyday and to be positive to use his energy and trying to use his mentality to help us.”
Graeme Souness recently hit out at Martinez following his antics after the World Cup as he “looking like a vulgar clown”.
“I can accept those antics, to a point. But what we should be talking about more is the crude gesture he made after collecting his goalkeeper of the tournament trophy.
“Do some people really find that sort of thing funny? Martinez embarrassed himself and he embarrassed his country. He looked like a vulgar clown. If that is what he wants to be remembered for, then God help us all.
“I like him as a goalkeeper, for Argentina and Aston Villa. But for him to think what he did was appropriate, it beggars belief.
Villa sit 12th in the Premier League with Emery having won two and lost two since being appointed as Steven Gerrard’s successor in November.
“I know Antonio Conte’s teams,” added the Villa manager, who is without the injured Jacob Ramsey and Diego Carlos. “He is so competitive and a successful coach in Italy and England as well.
“They are so competitive and with very fast, strong, players. They like transition and have very good players.”
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