'I want to wait': John McGinn injury update given as Scotland talisman undergoes surgery
The Aston Villa midfielder is a doubt for Scotland’s upcoming fixtures.
John McGinn has emerged as a doubt for Scotland's next two matches after being forced to undergo surgery on a knee injury.
The Aston Villa midfielder limped out of his side’s 1-0 defeat to Everton nine days ago, and underwent a series of tests in the days following the clash, leaving Scotland fans sweating over the fitness of the talismanic 31-year-old ahead of this summer’s World Cup in the United States.
Steve Clarke’s side ended their 28-year wait to qualify for the World Cup after sealing qualification to the tournament with a memorable 4-2 win over Denmark at Hampden Park in November, thanks to goals from Scott McTominay, Lawrence Shankland, Kieran Tierney, and Kenny McLean. Drawn in Group C of the tournament, the national team is set face Haiti, Morocco, and Brazil in Boston and Miami this June.
Ahead of their first game against Haiti on June 14, the Scottish national team has announced three pre-tournament warm-up fixtures. Games against Japan and the Ivory Coast are scheduled to take place on March 28 and 31, respectively, with a game against Curacao on May 30 billed as the team’s Hampden farewell, before they jet off for a pre-World Cup camp in North America shortly afterwards.
However, former Hibs midfielder McGinn is now a major doubt for Scotland’s next two friendly fixtures after Aston Villa head coach confirmed he could miss a significant chunk of time after undergoing surgery on his knee. “Normally, he is going to be out for some weeks,” said Emery. “Maybe even one or two months. But I want to wait for the doctor’s opinion on it.”
Following the official update from the Villa Park boss, McGinn took to social media on Tuesday afternoon after going under the knife, writing: “Not doing one of those shocking pics like 2016. Surgery went well and I’ll be back before you know it!” alongside a decade-old photo of himself.
Currently third in the English Premier League and just four points behind league leaders Arsenal, the midfielder could miss the Midlands side’s next nine games, potentially ruling him out of several key fixtures both domestically and in the Europa League.
Following injuries to McGinn and fellow midfielders Boubacar Kamara and Youri Tielemans, the title-chasing side has agreed a deal to bring Douglas Luiz back to the club, just 18 months after he left Villa Park in order to complete a move to Serie A side Juventus.
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