Ezri Konsa was preparing for an early-winter jaunt to Dubai before his phone started to ring on Sunday evening.
The Aston Villa defender, next to partner Ronni, was driving down the motorway after helping his side to a 3-1 win over Fulham.
They were planning to use the international break to take in some rest and recuperation in the Middle East. But then an old friend popped up on his caller ID.
‘I was driving on the M1 and it was raining. We were talking about going on holiday,’ said Konsa.