Aston Villa have been handed some very exciting news, with The Athletic reporting that John McGinn is getting closer to making his return from injury.
This comes as the Scotland international comes closer to getting back training on the Bodymoor Heath grass, having missed 11 games so far due to the broken ankle he sustained against Southampton.
It is suggested that getting back on the grass will then lead to him building up his fitness, ahead of what is hoped will be a speedy recovery.
The 25-year-old’s Premier League performances this season highlight why this is a large boost: in his 18 appearances, he has three goals and two assists while averaging 1.5 key passes and 2.3 dribbles per game. He’s also made 1.5 tackles and maintained a pass success rate of 82.1%.
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While there will be plenty of excitement about having this sort of quality back in the team, it won’t be as simple as slipping him back into the squad for Smith.
Interestingly, when Villa have had the Scotsman on the pitch this season, they have won 26% of their games, while losing 58%. Alternatively, their win rate has been boosted to 50% without him, in addition to the loss rate falling to 36%.
This indicates that Smith will need to find a way of fitting the talismanic figure into the squad while also continuing the upturn of form that has been suffered without him.
The main issue with this is a tactical one, as it’s difficult to see how McGinn can fit into the current 3-4-3 system without his natural game being impacted.
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The centre-midfield partnership has often been compiled of two players out of Douglas Luiz, Marvelous Nakamba and Danny Drinkwater, though playing in this deeper role would stifle McGinn’s attacking instincts.
Grealish was moved from a central role to the wing earlier in the season, but this does seem like an unnatural role for McGinn to fulfil, which may mean that Smith will need to alter his formation if he is to get the best out of the Scotsman.
Having him back in the side is undoubtedly an exciting prospect, but turning that into a boost for results may not be as simple as first thought.
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