Championship star forced to take £500 taxi to match after 15-hour flight back from international break he didn’t play in
WATFORD star Francisco Sierralta was forced to take a £500 taxi for his side’s next match after a 15-hour flight from Chile — where he was left on the bench for the entire international break.
Hornets ace Sierralta, 27, faced a rough trip back to England after being called up by international boss Ricardo Gareca for World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Venezuela.
Chile drew with the former 0-0 before ending the break with a 4-2 win over the latter.
But Sierralta’s 15-hour flight to South America proved fruitless as he was an unused sub in both games.
The defender then had to make another 15-hour flight back to London’s Heathrow Airport.
Yet his torturous trip was far from over.
After touching down in the capital, Sierralta next had to jump straight in a taxi and drive for five straight hours to Plymouth.
His side Watford play Argyle in a crunch Championship match tonight.
And the Hornets stumped up a crisp £500 to ferry Sierralta directly to their seaside base.
It meant the centre-back was on the move non-stop for over 20 hours.
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While his entire round trip clocked in at a mammoth 15,620 miles.
It now remains to be seen whether Sierralta faces Plymouth tonight, with Watford boss Tom Cleverley keen to assess his condition.
The Hornets gaffer said: “It’s a situation I’ve never seen before in my career where you’ve got a player who is going straight to the team hotel without a training session.
“He lands at Heathrow this morning and then will get a cab straight down to Plymouth.
“We’re sending a physio down there to work with him and help get the journey out of his legs and back.
“The first time I’ll see him will be when I get to Plymouth, which will be strange.
“He’s an important player for us, so we’re managing things to give him the best chance of being in the best condition.”