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.”