OPINION
Picking out Aston Villa’s most important player is easy when you see the impact that Jack Grealish has had since his return to the side but singling out their second most vital star is a much harder task.
One man who would no doubt be in contention for that particular honour would have to be John McGinn, the 2018 signing having been a mainstay for Dean Smith in the middle of the park, commanding the centre of the pitch, chipping in with assists and even finding the back of the net himself – in quite spectacular fashion.
He has missed just four Championship games this season, three of those as a result of suspension through the amount of yellow cards accumulated throughout the campaign and with the season coming to its final fixtures, he is still walking a narrow tightrope which could end his season early.
The game against Bristol City saw him pick up his 13th booking of the campaign and with a three game ban coming for players who pick up 15, Dean Smith will no doubt be worried about missing the Scottish international for their prospective play off games.
With games against struggling Bolton and Millwall coming before huge matches versus Leeds and Norwich, it seems the perfect time to swing the surprise axe on McGinn and protect him from picking up the two yellow cards which would rule him out of their final push for promotion.
McGinn has been pivotal to Villa this season which is why losing him for their play off games would be a huge blow – it is up to Smith to ensure it is not a situation he has to deal with.