John McGinn is set to return from suspension ahead of Aston Villa’s Premier League meeting with Burnley on Wednesday, but Dean Smith has warned the 26-year-old that he may not walk straight back into the team after Marvelous Nakamba impressed in his absence.
The 27-year-old Zimbabwean started alongside Douglas Luiz in midfield in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Newcastle and, despite it being his first league appearance since mid-December, he showed no signs of rust against the Magpies. Smith has duly warned McGinn not to automatically expect an instant return to the starting line-up as a divine right.
The manager said in Tuesday’s pre-match press conference: “John McGinn… came out the team and he’ll be thinking ‘am I going to get in against Burnley?’ because the lads played so well without him. You want your key players questioning whether they’re going to be getting back into the team.”
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McGinn has made 16 Premier League appearances this season, scoring one goal and supplying five assists (Transfermarkt). Only Jack Grealish has set up more goals for Villa in 2020/21, so Smith is unlikely to leave a creative ball winner out of the team if he doesn’t have to do so.
Nakamba did very well to limit Newcastle to only one shot on target, and he turned over the ball numerous times to ensure attacks didn’t form. However, McGinn isn’t often left out when available, so he might come back into the team against Burnley.
Nakamba is a backup midfielder, mostly called upon when Villa’s first-choice options are unavailable. He has made eight appearances in all competitions this season but hasn’t had more than two consecutive Premier League appearances since last term (Transfermarkt).
He did his job when called upon and ably deputised for McGinn, but the Scotland midfielder could still get the nod tomorrow despite Smith’s words of warning.
