COLLOMOSSE: McGinn will be HAUNTED by his red if Villa fail to qualify for UCL
If Aston Villa fail to qualify for next season’s Champions League, John McGinn will be haunted by his wild lunge at Tottenham’s Destiny Udogie for many months to come.
We are about to learn just how well Villa can cope without their captain and most influential player. Ollie Watkins scores the goals, Emi Martinez makes the saves and Leon Bailey brings the flair, but McGinn is the man who knits is all together.
Not for the next three matches he won’t be, and by the time he is back, it could be too late. Because McGinn made that crazy tackle on Udogie as Villa were busy losing 4-0 at home to Spurs, he will now be absent at West Ham on Sunday, as well as missing the home game with Wolves on March 30 and the trip to Manchester City on April 3.
It is not simply on the field where McGinn makes his mark. The 29-year-old helped Villa out of the Championship in 2019 and has been part of this journey from the beginning.
He was made captain by Steven Gerrard two summers ago and impressed Emery enough to retain the armband. Under the Spaniard, McGinn has improved again and been one of the most consistent midfielders in the top flight this season.
Tottenham are only two points behind fourth-placed Villa so by the time McGinn returns, they may be playing catch-up.
At least the Scotland international will be able to play against Ajax on Thursday for a place in the Europa Conference League quarter-finals but his next game for Villa after that is likely to be against Brentford at Villa Park on April 6.
Villa are already without Boubacar Kamara for the rest of the season and with McGinn now unavailable, they look worryingly short in midfield.
Unai Emery would not condemn McGinn and regards Tim Iroegbunam highly, but the academy product does not
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