Unai Emery confirms new Aston Villa injury - player could miss Ipswich Town and Bayern Munich games

The club captain picked up a hamstring injury at the end of the first period and couldn’t carry on, forcing Unai Emery into a premature change at the break.

McGinn, who had received brief treatment before being taken off, looked in a little discomfort when he walked the perimeter of the Villa Park field to head down the tunnel.

Emery has since confirmed it wasn’t even a precautionary substitution but rather one that was fully forced as McGinn wasn’t able to continue. The Scotland international definitely won’t play against Wycombe Wanderers in the Carabao Cup midweek, while other fixtures are up in the air.

“It’s his hamstring. In January against Tottenham he had a hamstring injury as well. He will not be available I think for a few weeks,” Emery admitted in the post-match press conference.

The vague estimated return date from the head coach suggests McGinn faces a race against time to play against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League. The midfielder will almost certainly be unavailable for the clash away at Ipswich Town next Sunday.

With the Bayern game on the following Wednesday - October 2 - it’s unlikely McGinn will feature then, either. It’s a gutting blow for the captain as he will have been desperate to lead his team out for the first home Champions League fixture in 41 years.

It’s of course not an absolute certainty that McGinn will miss out, but the initial assessment from Emery isn’t promising. Results of a scan are expected to be confirmed after the Wycombe clash on Tuesday.