Emiliano Sala: Family comforted by news his body has been raised from plane wreckage, says Cardiff’s Neil Warnock

The news that Sala's body has been found and identified has brought peace to his relatives

Emiliano Sala’s family have been comforted by news that the footballer’s body has been discovered, Cardiff manager Neil Warnock has said.

Sala’s body was formally identified on Thursday evening after it was raised from the seabed wreckage of his flight which went missing over the English Channel on 21 January. The pilot, David Ibbotson, remains missing.

“While everybody expects the worst when it happens, I got a phone call last night and it was strange,” Warnock said.

“It brings the family peace and offers them comfort – that’s what Sharon (Warnock’s wife) said from the start.”

“The least of my worries is the record signing, finance does not come into it from my point of view,” Warnock said. “I couldn’t be more grateful to Ken (Choo, chief executive) and Mehmet (Dalman, chairman), they are keeping everything away from me.

“Off the field they are dealing with all that, and that’s the way to move forward. I’ve got enough on my plate dealing with the football on the field.”

Neil Warnock was speaking to the media on Friday (PA)

Cardiff are boosted by the return of Harry Arter to the squad for the trip to Southampton on Saturday. The Bluebirds will wear black armbands and a minute’s silence will be observed before kick-off.

“You’ve seen tributes from all over the place, from little clubs in the fourth division to the top clubs,” Warnock said. “When something like this happens it brings all the football family together.

“It’s a loss to everyone in football. I know we’re the closest, but when you see the response from world-class players and the amount of money they were able to raise [to fund the search for Sala] in the space of a few hours was amazing.”