Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has revealed that goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez no longer holds the position of vice-captain at the club.
The change became apparent during Thursday evening's European fixture against Maccabi Tel Aviv when Ezri Konsa wore the captain's armband in John McGinn's absence.
The 33-year-old Argentine international had previously served as the automatic choice to lead the team whenever the Scottish midfielder was unavailable.
However, when he was not included in the starting 11 for the match against Israeli opposition at Villa Park, it was the English defender who emerged from the tunnel as captain, prompting questions about Martinez's status within the leadership hierarchy.
His demotion follows a turbulent summer in which he sought a transfer to Old Trafford after spending four years with the Midlands giant.
Following Villa's final match of the previous season against the Red Devils, the goalkeeper was visibly emotional and appeared to bid farewell to the supporters while in tears.
Reports indicated that Martinez had reached out to fellow Argentine and United defender Lisandro Martinez regarding the potential switch.
The two clubs engaged in negotiations throughout the transfer window, with Martinez seemingly determined to secure the move.
Emiliano Martinez has been stripped of the Aston Villa vice-captaincy
|PA
Despite prolonged discussions between the clubs, an agreement was never reached and Martinez remained at Villa.
Speaking after Villa's 2-0 victory against Maccabi, Emery addressed the leadership restructuring within his squad.
The Spanish manager acknowledged that Martinez had been removed from his vice-captaincy duties, athough he stopped short of establishing a direct connection between this decision and his goalkeeper's attempts to engineer a move to United during the summer.
Emery told Birmingham Live: "The first captain is John McGinn. We decided how we are, as well as managing the next captain."
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Emiliano Martinez's demotion follows a turbulent summer in which he sought a transfer to Old Trafford
|GETTY
He added: "Usually, we have another captain, Emi Martinez, as second captain. But now, after speaking with him, I prefer to get him back.
"Konsa is the next one. Tyrone Mings, with Ollie Watkins too. Normally, we are managing it like that."
Following the closure of the summer window, Martinez's family sought to set the record straight on the footballer's saga.
"I was told that Emi gave a lot as a professional and as a person, they love him, and you could see that on the pitch," Martinez's brother, Alejandro, told DSports Radio.
Emiliano Martinez was visibly emotional and appeared to bid farewell to the supporters while in tears at the end of last season
|GETTY
He added: "He is well-liked, and the directors didn't want to sell him because he is the key player in the team, and another team wanted him. It was that commercial dispute."
"These are decisions made by club officials. It didn't happen, but it's like everything else in business. The sporting side of things was left out of it, and everything is fine.
"Emi never had an argument with Unai. It was all within the management's control, and the clubs couldn't agree.
"At Aston Villa, he's the Diego [Maradona] of Napoli. He gave a lot at Villa, like Kun [Aguero] did at City, like Leo [Messi] did at Barca. They're legendary players, and it's going to be hard to surpass what he did at Aston Villa."
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