Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has confirmed that he has stripped Emi Martinez of his role as vice-captain.
The Argentina international had previously been the man to wear the armband when club captain John McGinn was unavailable, but during the club's Europa League clash with Maccabi Tel-Aviv on Thursday night, it was noticeable that centre-back Ezri Konsa was the man who led the team out in the Scot's absence.
After the game, while speaking to Birmingham Live, Emery confirmed that the club have made the decision to change the leadership group in the club after holding behind-the-scenes talks.
Emery: Martinez Stripped of Aston Villa Vice-Captaincy
unai emery
World Cup winner Martinez had been expected to leave Villa Park during the recent summer transfer window, and it's understood that he pushed to join Manchester United until the last minute.
But when the Red Devils opted to sign Senne Lammens instead, Martinez was brought back into the fold by Emery as the first-choice goalkeeper, ahead of summer arrival Marco Bizot.
Martinez has slotted back into the fold seamlessly and with limited issue, but Emery revealed that after holding talks with the player recently, the decision was made to take the vice-captaincy off him and remove him from the leadership group at Aston Villa entirely going forward.
"The first captain is John McGinn. We decided how we are, as well as managing the next captain.
"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."
McGinn is a regular in the side and therefore the captaincy is rarely a big issue. However, it's interesting to note that Tyrone Mings is back in the mix, having been stripped of the armband by former manager Steven Gerrard.
Konsa is the natural choice to replace Martinez in the role, as he is one of the first names on the teamsheet and his leadership and standing in the group has grown immensely over the last 18 months, while he has also become a regular for the England team, extending his experience to the very highest level.
The captaincy situation didn't stop Villa from earning a third win from four Europa League games this season, as Ian Maatsen and Donyell Malen goals helped the team to a 2-1 win on the night.