Neil Warnock reveals personal regret as Cardiff City players receive counselling over Emiliano Sala
Monday 28th January 2019
The Cardiff City boss spoke publicly about Sala for the first time today since the plane he was in disappeared
Neil Warnock spoke emotionally of his own personal regret over the disappearance of Emiliano Sala, having offered Cardiff City's new signing the chance to travel to Newcastle the weekend he instead travelled home to Nantes.
The Bluebirds manager also revealed both he and the club's players have sought professional help to come to terms with the circumstances surrounding the footballer's disapperance.
Sala had been due to join Cardiff as their £15million record signing, an "exciting" move for the player, club and Warnock himself.
But the light aircraft carrying Sala and pilot David Ibbotson lost contact with air traffic control near the Channel Islands on Monday night.
No trace of the aircraft or those on board has since been found, which saw the official search stood down on Thursday.
Since then, a private search has begun after a huge crowdfunding effort. You can follow our live coverage of the private search here .
Speaking on Monday at his first press conference since the plane went missing, Warnock revealed he had met with the Argentine striker at Cardiff's Vale Resort training ground on Friday, January 18 - the day before he was announced as the club's record signing - offering the player the chance to travel to St James' Park in Newcastle with his new teammates.
But Sala opted to head back to Nantes to say farewell to family and friends and collect his belongings before heading back to Wales to begin his life in the Premier League.
"He came down to see us," said Warnock.
"He came to the training ground half way through his medical on Friday as we were preparing.
"He came across to me for a few minutes and I just said to him, looking at his gear he was wearing, I said 'you'll fit in very well with my team'.
"He had holes everywhere in his trousers and looked like a tramp. I said he'd fit in very well with our team because we've got quite a few like that!
"That's the memory I'll have because we had a laugh. He said 'I'll score you the goals', and I said 'I know you will'."
The search for Emiliano Sala, the pilot and the missing plane
What we know and unanswered questions
"I do keep thinking back, I said to him 'why don't you come up to Newcastle and watch us play tomorrow and have a look?'
"You're now asking yourself should I have made him come up, because it's after the event, but he wanted to go back and see his teammates, and family, and get his belongings for the following week so that's what happened.
"I just thanked him and off we went, you know."
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.