Doctor issues John McGinn injury update ahead of Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur
We’re delighted to welcome injury expert Dr Rajpal Brar as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the injury situation at Aston Villa...
Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn should be able to overcome the injury scare he faced on international duty, according to Dr Rajpal Brar.
The 29-year-old hobbled off the pitch in the 3-3 Scotland v Norway game and there wasn’t much made about his situation.
However, the injury expert believes that he’ll still have to pass a late fitness test and in case he doesn’t, Unai Emery will have to make do without him.
Speaking about his injury, Dr Brar, a doctor in physical therapy and a sports scientist, told Villa News: “Sounds like he just suffered a knock and should be in contention for the next match although there is a minor chance that he’s unavailable too.
“To mitigate risk, Villa will have him go through their normal return to play protocols and see how he responds to training and testing.
“He will also have a late fitness test ahead of the game given his importance to the team.“
The Scotland international has been like a Swiss Army Knife for Unai Emery this season and his absence will be felt.
Of late, McGinn has been used on the left flank, but he has played as a number 10, striker, right winger, central midfielder as well as a defensive midfielder.
He’s featured in 12 Premier League games, scoring thrice and providing two assists.
Whenever fit, he’s among the first names on the team sheet and all eyes will be on the playing eleven an hour before kick off.
Tyrone Mings, Emi Buendia and Bertrand Traore are already missing the game and Emery would not want another first-team absence.
In other Aston Villa news, a first-team player is dealing with a “tricky” rehabilitation programme as he’s unlikely to be fully fit currently.