Aston Villa midfielder ‘will be a miss’ against Stoke, Smith says he’s ‘been a consistent performer’

Dean Smith admitted that John McGinn “will be a miss” against Stoke City after picking up ten yellow cards. The Aston Villa midfielder picked up his tenth booking in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion and will now miss games against Stoke and Derby.

Aside from Tammy Abraham, McGinn has been Villa’s best player this season and was called a “consistent performer” by his manager. While ruing his absence this weekend, Smith believes other players now have a chance to step up and prove their worth.

When asked how big a loss McGinn will be on Saturday, Smith said in Thursday’s pre-match press conference: “Yea, John’s collected ten yellow cards this season and has been a very consistent performer for us, so he’ll be a miss. But it’s also an opportunity for others to show that they’re available and take that opportunity that John’s left for them.”

The 24-year-old has made 30 Championship appearances this season since joining from Hibernian last summer. McGinn is a box-to-box midfielder who protects the backline and provides a threat in the final third. He’s contributed nine league games in his debut season while average a tackle (67) or interception (28) every 28 minutes.

He’s also completed 49 dribbles with an 85% success rate and has created 54 chances for his troubles. With Villa enduring a four-game winless run ahead of Saturday’s meeting, McGinn will certainly be a loss.

Crippy Cooke’s previous article