Former Aston Villa right-back Alan Hutton has suggested that the current Premier League break could be a good thing for the relegation battling club, as it means players like John McGinn, who are recovering from injuries, can be fully fit by the time the season restarts.
The side are currently in 19th, per BBC Sport, and are having to wait to see when football starts again after recent events has caused football across the country to be postponed.
When talking to Football Insider about the situation, Hutton said, “Perfect, it’s a perfect scenario if you can call it that, injured players at any club, anywhere, you look at the other clubs who have been having problems – Harry Kane or Son at Tottenham, John McGinn – if there’s a silver lining it could be that.
“It gives you that little bit of breathing space moving forward, gets your fitness up, work a little bit harder, maybe not getting in as early as you would have thought.
“We all know how important John McGinn is to the team, he’s a massive part of the Villa team, especially moving forward. We all want to see a fit John McGinn playing. Hopefully when he comes back, he’ll be perfect and ready to go.”
McGinn managed to play 20 times this season, per Transfermarkt, scoring three times and assisting twice, before he suffered an ankle injury which has seen him out of action since Boxing Day. It’s hard to disagree with Hutton as he will now be closer to match fitness by the time the league resumes.
He is a vital asset for Villa who has been sorely missed of late. Indeed he has averaged more shots per game, more key passes per game and was fouled more per game than Conor Hourihane, who has filled in at times during the Scotsman’s absence per Whoscored, which highlights how key he is offensively.
If they are to survive relegation to the Championship they will need McGinn back and firing and given the enforced break in play, he could now be back in action when football does finally return.
Villa fans, are you excited for McGinn’s return? Comment below!
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