Aston Villa: John McGinn ‘massive loss’ after what happened in ‘reckless’ incident
John McGinn is a “massive loss” for Aston Villa after he was hit with a three-game ban following an incident against Tottenham, according to Ty Bracey.
The Villa captain was dismissed for a rash challenge on Destiny Udogie when his side were two goals down in their eventual 4-0 defeat to Spurs on 10 March.
The Scotland international has already served one game of his three-match suspension in the 1-1 draw against West Ham on Sunday (17 March), but he will also sit out the West Midlands derby against Wolves and the visit to Manchester City.
Bracey believes it was a “very reckless” challenge from the 29-year-old on the Tottenham left-back, but he hopes the likes of Douglas Luiz can step up in his absence for the upcoming matches.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, Bracey said: “It was a very reckless challenge. But do I think it was a red card? I don’t know. Villa didn’t appeal it either.
“There is a bit of a split on social media, it wasn’t a very nice tackle. Whether it warranted a red is maybe subjective, but it wasn’t a great challenge and it was reckless.
“I think it was frustration from McGinn because he was giving more than the rest of the team and, obviously, we were getting battered.
“I kind of don’t blame him at the same time, but you’ve got to keep your cool there really. It’ll be really tough in the middle without him but, hopefully, Douglas Luiz can step up.
“It’s going to be tough, but we’ve just got to bite the bullet and get on with it. We can sit and debate all day whether it was a red, but we’ve just got to get on with it despite it being a massive loss.”
Aston Villa players need to step up in John McGinn absence
It was the last thing Villa really needed when McGinn received his marching orders in what was a disappointing defeat against Tottenham.
They were already short on options in midfield, with Boubacar Kamara set to miss the rest of the campaign with a knee injury.
But as Bracey points out, it’s an opportunity for some other players to step up in the captain’s absence, with the likes of Youri Tielemans and Tim Iroegbunam vying for a starting spot at Villa Park.
In other Aston Villa news, a broadcaster has shared the likelihood of Villa making a £64million double signing.
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