Chelsea goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez has explained the scale of the injuries that have marked the last few months of his career, saying he will never fully close his right hand again after suffering a fractured ring finger during the 2026 World Cup period.

Martínez said the problem began in the Europa League final, when the finger detached and later proved to be broken in half. The former Aston Villa goalkeeper recalled being in tears when he saw the scan, fearing he would not make it to the World Cup. Rather than undergo surgery, he and Argentina’s medical staff chose a different route. He played with a plastic cast, heavy bandaging and a special glove made by adidas, with the finger put back into place and protected throughout the tournament.

The decision allowed him to start every match of Argentina’s run, though he admitted the injury limited him badly. Even on the eve of Argentina’s opener against Algeria, he said he was “diving like a zombie, with just one arm.” He also revealed he trained with a volleyball for most of the competition. Despite that, the finger still prevented a move to a Serie A club, believed to be Juventus, after the World Cup. Martínez said the transfer collapsed when a fresh X-ray showed the finger had broken again.

He eventually completed a move to Chelsea in the final hours of the summer window, but another setback followed soon after. Seven games into his Chelsea career, he collided with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite while attempting to claim a free kick. The impact left him with a broken jaw and concussion, and he has no memory of the incident.

“I preferred the jaw than the head to be honest,” Martínez said. “It was one of the most beautiful knockouts, in the UFC that would’ve been the knockout of the night. I saw birds flying around for many days honestly.”

Martínez required four screws in his jaw and is still unable to eat purées. Reflecting on the twin injuries, he said the finger remained the worse problem.

Michael Carrick’s position at Manchester United is becoming harder to defend after Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Chelsea stretched the club’s winless sequence to nine matches in all competitions.

That run matches a low point last seen under Sir Alex Ferguson, but the comparison only goes so far. Ferguson’s side were two years into his spell when they went nine games without a victory, and even then they managed to draw seven of those matches before eventually ending the sequence with a 3-0 win over Charlton Athletic.

Carrick’s case is more damaging because the numbers are sharper and the performances have been poorer over a longer stretch. United have now lost six of their last nine matches in all competitions and drawn the other three. The 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth had already sparked the view that his time could be up, leading to crisis talks before the decision was made to give him another chance.

Against Chelsea, though, there were at least signs of a response early on. United were the better side for the first 45 minutes, with Carrick apparently getting a positive reaction from his players at the start of the match. That opening spell is unlikely, however, to settle the wider debate around his future.

There is clear acceptance at the club that both results and performances are not meeting the required level, and officials are already weighing up possible alternatives, including Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann.

Even so, Carrick may feel he was not entirely betrayed by his own approach. Some of the damage at Chelsea came from individual mistakes, and Lisandro Martínez’s decision to lead with his arm as he jumped with Wesley Fofana cannot be laid at the manager’s door. After the Bournemouth defeat, there were also suggestions that some at Old Trafford recognised the players’ share of responsibility in the slump.

Chelsea took full advantage of Lisandro Martínez’s dismissal to beat Manchester United 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, a result that added further scrutiny to the under-pressure Michael Carrick.

The opening half was far more competitive than the scoreline eventually suggested. United, coming off consecutive three-goal defeats, showed clearer resistance and created chances of their own. Amad Diallo twice forced Chelsea’s goalkeeper into action, while Matheus Cunha thought he had found the net only for VAR to rule his near-post effort out for offside. Chelsea also had a moment chalked off when Estêvão tapped into an empty net, only for the linesman’s flag to intervene.

The deadlock remained intact until five minutes after the interval, when United’s defending unravelled. Morgan Rogers found space in the penalty area and produced a delicate dink to put Chelsea ahead after the visitors failed to deal with the danger.

United’s task became even harder soon after. Martínez, booked only moments earlier, was dismissed for a second yellow after barging into Wesley Fofana at a corner. Cole Palmer then converted the resulting penalty to make the advantage decisive.

Chelsea pressed for more, and Estêvão had another effort ruled out for offside, but the two-goal margin was enough to secure the points and extend United’s frustration.

United had actually begun the contest with purpose and control, but the same old issues returned quickly after the break. Their defence opened up far too easily for Rogers’ opener, while the midfield offered too little protection. Carrick’s side also wasted the best of their first-half openings, and those misses proved costly.

Martínez’s red card summed up the mood around United: reckless, needless and avoidable. It was the latest damaging moment in a season already defined by collapse, and it left Chelsea to stroll away with a result that reflected the gulf in composure when the match was decided.