Context: Aston Villa’s Injury Update and Upcoming Matches
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has confirmed that John McGinn will be sidelined for another two to three weeks due to injury. As a result, McGinn will miss crucial Premier League clashes against Ipswich Town and Manchester United, as well as Villa’s second Champions League league phase match against Bayern Munich. Emi Martinez will captain the team in McGinn’s absence.
Unai Emery on John McGinn’s Injury:
Emery: “He’s been out for one week and I think he will now be out for two or three weeks more. Our expectation is that he will be out for three or four weeks altogether.”
Emery on McGinn’s Recent Performances:
Emery: “When someone is injured it is not good for the players and for us. But analysing his performances before he was injured, he needed to improve and increase his performance levels. We were working with him on his focus.”
Context: McGinn’s Recovery and Team Preparations
While McGinn recovers from his injury, Emery emphasized the need for calm and working on areas where McGinn could improve. He also reflected on the team’s experiences in the Conference League and the challenges of the Champions League.
Emery on McGinn’s Recovery and Team’s Focus:
Emery: “Now he is injured, we must stay calm and work to recover as soon as possible—and hopefully we can work on the things he was not doing like he has been doing for the last two years. Then we had our experiences last year in the Conference League getting the performances we needed. Of course, the Champions League is more difficult, but the experiences we had are similar.”
Emery on the Upcoming Matches:
Emery: “On Sunday, against Ipswich, then against Bayern Munich. This is the way. Each match is a challenge.”