Scotland boss Steve Clarke will be praying John McGinn isn’t seriously injured after the midfielder was forced to limp off during Aston Villa’s shock 1-0 home defeat to Everton.
Villa’s skipper was removed in the 18th minute on Sunday, and his exit proved to be a bad omen for Unai Emery’s men as Thierno Barry scored the only goal of the game on the hour mark.
The 31-year-old Scotland talisman appeared to hurt himself while stretching to intercept a pass. He tried to play on following treatment, but was clearly in pain while holding his right knee, and manager Emery was forced into making a change.
Asked about the extent of the injury, the Spaniard said: ‘I don’t know, it’s his knee. Of course, when some players are getting injured, it is not good. It is football and we have to accept it. It’s another opportunity for others to play.’
Scotland’s opening World Cup match with Haiti in the USA is still five months away, on June 14, but national team boss Clarke is naturally anxious to see his top performers like McGinn make it through the second half of the domestic season unscathed.
John McGinn calls for help after injuring his knee during Aston Villa’s defeat to Everton
The Scotland midfielder was clearly struggling before Unai Emery decided to take him off
McGinn gives the thumbs up as he leaves the field, and Scotland and Villa fans will be hoping he is okay
The former Hibernian and St Mirren star played every minute for his country in the World Cup qualifying campaign, and is top scorer in the squad with 20 goals in 83 international caps.
Villa’s game plan clearly suffered when the influential McGinn went off on Sunday, and the defeat to David Moyes’ side meant they missed their chance to go second in the Premier League table behind leaders Arsenal.
