Football Insider pundit Paul Robinson has been reacting to how Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was treated against Newcastle United on the weekend.
The Lowdown: Premier League wants answers
Martinez collided with centre-back Tyrone Mings following a shot from Joelinton in Saturday’s defeat and was examined by Villa’s medical staff.
The Argentine initially carried on but went down again shortly after and was brought off for Robin Olsen.
Reports since have claimed that the Premier League are now demanding a response from Villa about why Martinez was allowed to play on before eventually being replaced.
The Latest: Robinson’s comments
Robinson, who now contributes for Sky Sports, was talking to FI regarding the incident involving Martinez and the update from the Premier League. The former goalkeeper wasn’t happy and described what unfolded at St. James’ Park as ‘absolutely ridiculous’.
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“It is absolutely ridiculous.
“It would be so easy to get it right. Why can’t people see that?
“There needs to be a neutral doctor on the touchline who is there specifically for head injuries. The neutral doctor would make an assessment on the field and if he wants to further assess the player in the dressing room a temporary substitution would be allowed.
“Club physios and doctors are under pressure. They are paid by the club and they want their team to win and their players to perform. A doctor will sit there and tell you until he is blue in the face that he has the players’ best interests are at heart. Not everyone is neutral though.
“It has to be an independent doctor who makes the decision on medical grounds only.”
The Verdict: Big talking point
Martinez never looked 100 per cent following the collision with his teammate, but you’d like to think he would have passed the club’s concussion protocols to carry on for a short period of time.
The NFL use independent head injury spotters as Robinson suggests, and they are still embroiled in controversies due to players continuing with injuries, so it clearly isn’t some quick fix.
Sides can now use concussion substitutes as well, so it wasn’t as if Villa would have needed to worry about losing one of their five allocated subs.
You can see why it remains a talking point and why the Premier League want answers, but Villa’s response on what happened with their star goalkeeper should clear up any confusion.