Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay won’t be the only Scotsman who will be suspended for Saturday’s Premier League clash against Aston Villa.
McTominay’s compatriot John McGinn will be suspended for the game at Villa Park, after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season last time out against Brentford.
There will be no battle of the Scots in the middle of the park on Saturday evening and both sides’ midfields will be weaker without the influential pair.
McGinn played the full 90 minutes in Monday’s FA Cup clash and also played the full game in Villa’s 1-0 win at Old Trafford in September.
Full of energy, capable of chipping in with a goal, McGinn’s box-to-box qualities will be a big miss in Steven Gerrard’s side.
The 27-year-old has played the full 90 minutes in 17 of Villa’s 19 Premier League matches this season.
In the most recent game where McGinn was absent, which was against Chelsea on Boxing Day, French midfielder Morgan Sanson made his solitary Premier League start of the season.
But with Phillipe Coutinho signed on loan until the end of the season, the Brazilian could come straight into the Villa side in place of McGinn on Saturday.
However, the Barcelona loanee is a completely different player to McGinn and is unlikely to fulfil the same defensive duties of the Scotland international.
McGinn currently sits in the Premier League’s top ten for the average number of tackles per game (2.7).
Coutinho is more of a luxury player who will look to create chances and conjure up moments of magic. However, McGinn does have a big part to play in Villa’s attack and he averages 1.6 key passes and 1.4 dribbles per game.
With three goals and two assists in the Premier League this season, similar to McTominay, McGinn is more than capable of chipping in with crucial goals.
With a rating of 7.14, WhoScored rate McGinn as Villa’s best player of the season so far.
McGinn and McTominay will be big misses on Saturday, but it will be up to their replacements to grasp their opportunity and have a positive influence in their absence.
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