Championship star forced to take £500 taxi to match after frustrating 15,620-mile round trip

After landing back at Heathrow early on Thursday morning, Watford boss Tom Cleverley sent Francisco Sierralta straight to his club’s overnight base in Devon to rest ahead of the clash with Plymouth

Watford defender Francisco Sierralta has travelled to Plymouth by TAXI after making a 15,620-mile round trip without playing a single minute during the international break.

The Hornets’ Chilean centre-back was an unused substitute in the 0-0 draw against Peru in Lima and 4-2 win against Venezuela in the South American World Cup qualifying group.

And after landing back at Heathrow early on Thursday morning, Watford boss Tom Cleverley sent Sierralta straight to his club’s overnight base in Devon to rest ahead of Friday night’s Championship date with Plymouth.

The 230-mile fare will set the Hornets back around £500 – but Cleverley insists it was a better bet than summoning the 6ft 3in giant back to the training ground for a cursory debriefing. Sierralta flew from London to Lima to Santiago – and back to Britain again – without kicking a ball in anger for Chile.

And Cleverley hopes he will be ready to face Wayne Rooney ’s Pilgrims at Home Park after his sting in the tail – all the 50mph limits on the M4 and M5.

The Watford head coach 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, and 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.”