Emi Buendia and Emi Martinez both missed last weekend’s 3-0 loss to Chelsea after traveling on international assignments with Argentina.

The couple, who spent 10 days on Croatia’s green list to avoid hotel quarantine, were not back in the UK until this morning, with Smith set to make a late decision on his availability for tonight’s Premier League game against Everton.

Smith felt Villa was left “between a rock and a hard place” after Buendia and Martinez made it clear that they wanted to travel.

And he now thinks that it is up to the authorities to develop a plan before the next international truce, already in barely two weeks.

Argentina are set to play in Paraguay and will also host Uruguay and Peru next month.

Smith said, “It’s not ideal for anyone and a lot of managers have talked about it.

“But now we have to pass that on above to the Premier League, the government, our CEO and the sporting director, as well as the 19 other league members to organize a better solution.

“I said last time I think we were all between a rock and a hard place. It was a difficult situation. We believe that the compromise we made was the best for all parties. “

Villa has cleared Buendia and Martinez to travel after making a deal for the players to take part in the first two of three scheduled World Cup qualifiers.

The second of them, in Brazil, was abandoned under grotesque circumstances when health officials objected to their presence in the country. Despite the two having been away from Villa for almost three weeks, Smith believes the club made the most of what was a difficult situation beyond their control. It is understood that both players were visited by their families during their stay in Croatia.

When asked if they would be mentally ready to play against Everton, Smith replied, “I think they get used to (the trips). If you play European football, you’re probably nine months away from home, not just three weeks.

“It’s part of the football life that you have to deal with. We can’t forget that (Croatia) is a green country, so their families could fly for them too. That doesn’t mean they went out alone.

“It was a path that the players themselves chose. We were okay with that and made sure to talk to the proper authorities, be it governments or the Premier League to make sure it was the right thing to do. It is and was and we will welcome them back to the club on Saturday.