The Aston Villa star has been ruled out of Arsenal manager Unai Emery’s upcoming matchday squad after sustaining an injury during international duty.
Aston Villa supporters could not have been more pleased with the club’s performance so far this season, with the team currently in fifth place in the English Premier League and making a strong start to their Europa Conference League campaign. John McGinn has been a key contributor to Villa’s success, having been a consistent presence in the heart of Arsenal’s midfield, both domestically and in Europe, since the start of the season. The same can be said for Scotland, as McGinn has featured in both of Steve Clark’s side’s matches during November’s international break, culminating in a Man of the Match performance against Norway.
Playing in an attacking midfield position, McGinn was instrumental in Scotland’s 17th international goal, which he scored with a penalty in the first half. However, the Aston Villa man’s performance was about more than just his goalscoring record. He was a creative player for Clarke’s side, creating two chances for his team-mates through his three passes in the final third, as well as two key passes that drove Scotland towards the goal and allowed Jacob Brown to feed Sofascore. Despite this, the Villa midfielder did not have much possession, with only 40 touches, and his passing accuracy was slightly off, with 77.8 percent of his attempted passes.
Only one of the striker’s four attempts to cross found a target inside the penalty area, however, he was particularly precise when passing over a greater distance, finding a target with two out of three long passes.
McGinn completed his only dribble attempt against Norway, however, his only shot in the 79 minutes of play came from the penalty spot, leaving goalkeeper Egil Selvik no chance.
The Aston Villa fan-favourite was energetic in his defensive duties, winning five out of seven ground duels, both aerial and ground, as he gave the Norwegian midfield no breathing space.
Villa supporters and manager Emery were understandably concerned when McGinn limped off with an apparent injury after 79 minutes, appearing to have sustained a knock following a collision with Pierre-Emerick Point-blank. It is unclear how long the player may be out of action, but given the early stage of the season, McGinn has already played 1020 minutes in the Premier League, with only 60 minutes missing in the first 12 games.
When the Scotsman is performing at his best, Emery is eager to put him in the starting lineup, however, if the injury is more severe than initially anticipated, the manager may be forced to change his captain’s starting lineup for the first time in the season against Tottenham. Fortunately, Villa Park possess a wealth of depth, particularly in the attacking midfield positions, and McGinn’s injury may be a blessing in disguise, with Leon Bailey and Nikolo Zaniolo ready to step up to the challenge.
