Dean Smith delays call on Aston Villa ace John McGinn ahead of derby clash
Dean Smith will give Villa midfield ace John McGinn until the last possible moment to prove his fitness for Sunday’s Second city derby.
The in-form Scot is a doubt for the clash with rivals Blues as he battles to shake off a calf strain.
McGinn has been Villa’s most influential player since Smith replaced Steve Bruce in the Villa Park hotseat.
And that means the boss is delaying the call on whether to include him in the squad until as late as possible.
Skipper James Chester is set to feature having returned to training yesterday following a knee injury.
Smith said: “John is a very good player and that’s why we’ll give him as much time as we can.
“Chester and (Neil) Taylor are out there training and ready but we want to give John longer.
“A grade one muscle strain can be a four-day problem or a four-week one. It depends on the body as all players are different.”
The clash with Blues begins a busy week for Villa, which also sees them host Nottingham Forest, before heading to Middlesbrough.
Smith already has one eye on the games to come.
“I’ve said it already but the obsession is not beating Blues, it’s beating every team we come up against.” he added.
“It would be wrong of me to look at just Birmingham City as we’ve got three games in a week with big games against Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough following on.”
