Unai Emery has dropped an honest verdict on an Aston Villa player who won’t feature against Wolverhampton Wanderers this evening.
The Villans are looking for their first Premier League win since 2 March and have been boosted by the return of Jacob Ramsey, who was reintegrated into full training this week.
The 22-year-old could return to the starting XI due to John McGinn’s absence. The Scot was sent off during Villa’s 4-0 loss to Tottenham, and the Villa boss has opened up on the 29-year-old’s red card.
Unai Emery drops honest verdict on John McGinn’s red card v Tottenham Hotspur
McGinn has actually been relatively disciplined during the 2023/24 season – his stats have been detailed below [Footystats].
- 11 yellow cards
- 1 red card
- 0.34 yellow cards per 90
- 35 fouls committed
- 1.32 fouls per game
The rash tackle against Tottenham was his first and only red card, and Emery has admitted that he doesn’t want a repeat.
“The red cards. We accept it. Even John McGinn, he knows this is the moment he doesn’t want to repeat,” he told The Express and Star.
“I like how we do things 95 per cent of the time. The mentality they are showing in the processes we are doing, the focus on how we want to build a team.”
Is John McGinn a big loss for Aston Villa ahead of Wolverhampton Wanderers clash?
McGinn, of course, will be a loss ahead of the clash against Wolves. His six goals and three assists, coupled with his energy, have been crucial this season.
However, Emery’s side should have too much for the visitors on Saturday evening. As highlighted by Paul Merson, Gary O’Neil is dealing with injury issues, particularly near the top end of the pitch.
“Wolves rely heavily on their front three and if those three are not playing well, it’s like the bite gets taken out of the wolf,” he explained. “If Pedro Neto, Matheus Cunha and Hwang Hee-Chan are all available, they could cause serious trouble.”
Villa fans will be hopeful that Merson’s prediction rings true come 7:30 pm and that Villa are still firmly involved in the race for the top four.
