John McGinn

[eye digress]

An unlucky break for SJM, but how badly will he be missed from the starting XI?

Or has he been starting largely as captain during a choppy period of form?

[AV82EC]

An unlucky break for SJM, but how badly will he be missed from the starting XI?

Or has he been starting largely as captain during a choppy period of form?

An on form Bailey this year and he wouldn’t have been getting in the team. Let’s see how this pans out. He’s a very good player, a tenacious fucker with an arse bigger than the moon and is great at delivering what Unai wants from the position he’s picked in BUT in a top quality CL team I think he’s a squad player the likes of which could ably support any number of positions from the bench. However I said this when Unai arrived and we said he couldn’t make the next step and he has so what do I know.

[ChicagoLion]

I think a fit SJM starts in our best X1.
He can and does play in various positions fulfilling different roles for different  circumstances.
He brings energy, intensity and skill to the team. Pretty sure Emery appreciates his versatility.
He is also the one player that doesn’t mind the physical stuff, the rest of our midfield and attackers are a bit too passive.

[Rudy65]

From The Athletic

John McGinn suffered a hamstring injury and could be unavailable for several weeks, Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery has said.

The Villa captain sustained the muscular injury in the 19th minute of Aston Villa’s 2-1 victory against Leicester City. Jacob Ramsey, who was out of action for two months also with a hamstring issue, replaced McGinn.

It is the 30-year-old’s second hamstring injury of the season, having limped off in September’s home game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Villa have suffered broadly with hamstring injuries this term, with Leon Bailey, Matty Cash, Boubacar Kamara and Emiliano Martinez also spending time on the sidelines.

6 hamstrings so far. WTF's going on?

Was only talking about this st the match yesterday. Big issue for all teams. Sakha, Forfana, De Bryne etc out for lengthy periods

[olaftab]

I believe its lack of ham served in players brekkie and lunch or BMH.

[darren woolley]

He will be a big miss for us.

[Brazilian Villain]

I believe its lack of ham served in players brekkie and lunch or BMH.

We need more gammon at BMH?

[Tuscans]

Think he's been pretty average this season but for him I hope he's alright for the Celtic game at the end of the month.

[Percy McCarthy]

Yes, CL, I was interested in the ‘cluster’ of such injuries at Villa cited in The Athletic. I wondered if it reflected on the training regime or medical support specifically at the Villa (re some comments in here earlier) and it seems not; the study does bear out what you and others of us in here have suspected.

Perhaps bigger squads would help to spread the load, especially on international duty.
Time for the FA and PL etc to rethink the rules re clubs and extend the numbers allowed?
And another good reason to ditch the club World Cup!

Agree, at some point the PFA are going to need to bare their teeth to protect player welfare to reduce the number and concentration of games. My guess is that the authorities will just keep extending squad sizes which is in my view the wrong answer.

FIFA are the problem IMO.

[Tuscans]

McGinn on X...
"The face when you model a kit you will never get to wear"

[eamonn]

He'd be a great warm-up act for Kevin Bridges. Meatball's got a great sense of humour.

[jwarry]

Unai said he might be ready in a week so not as bad as first feared

[usav]

Unai said he might be ready in a week so not as bad as first feared

To be honest, I didn't expect anything different.  2-3 weeks for a hamstring is par for the course.

[Villatillidie25]

Unai said he might be ready in a week so not as bad as first feared

To be honest, I didn't expect anything different.  2-3 weeks for a hamstring is par for the course.

2-3 weeks would be a very minor tweak. Mcginn's looked a little more serious but not like Saka or Fullkrug's, which will bother be at least a couple of months minimum. i'd have thought 4 weeks

[PaulWinch again]

Indeed 2-3 weeks is best case scenario, so that is good news.