Unai Emery speaks out on John McGinn injury ahead of Nottingham Forest semi-final second leg
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has explained why John McGinn is missing against Tottenham
Unai Emery has confirmed that John McGinn was left out of Aston Villa’s squad to face Tottenham Hotspur as a precaution.
Villa have a Europa League semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest on Thursday night, where McGinn is expected to return to the team.
“When we are playing matches in a few days like we are playing Thursday, sometimes players aren’t feeling 100 per cent, getting tired muscular, thinking not completely fit,” Emery said on TNT Sports pre-match.
“John McGinn, he was confident yesterday but not feeling 100%, so we decided not to take a risk and he’s not going to be involved today.”
This evening’s match against Spurs is a key one for Villa’s hopes of finishing in the top five and securing qualification for the Champions League.
After AFC Bournemouth beat Crystal Palace earlier, Villa cannot mathematically qualify today. However, a win would put them on the brink.
Villa need four more points to secure a top-five finish. They could confirm qualification before facing Burnley if they win today and Bournemouth fail to win at Fulham next weekend.
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