Aston Villa sweat on John McGinn injury after midfielder forced off in pre-season win

Aston Villa are awaiting news on John McGinn after the midfielder was forced off with a knee injury during the club's pre-season victory over BG Pathum.

The Scotland international appeared to injure his left knee after being caught by a challenge in midfield before landing awkwardly. McGinn received treatment and initially looked set to continue, but Unai Emery opted against taking any risks and instructed the midfielder to leave the pitch.

With the new Premier League season fast approaching, Villa will now assess the extent of the problem before confirming whether McGinn faces any spell on the sidelines.

McGinn briefly stood on the touchline seemingly ready to return to the action, but Emery signalled for a substitution instead, prioritising the midfielder's fitness over the remainder of the friendly.

The 31-year-old has been a key figure in Villa's midfield under Emery, making the injury concern one the club will hope proves to be only a minor setback.

No immediate update on the severity of the issue was provided following the match.

Villa also suffered another injury concern before half-time when Alejandro Garnacho was substituted after sustaining a facial injury.

The Argentina international left the field with a bloodied mouth, although the extent of the problem remains unclear.

The double setback took some of the shine off an otherwise comfortable evening for Emery's side.

Emi Buendía opened the scoring after finishing smartly from inside the penalty area following good work from Matty Cash.

Victor Lindelöf doubled Villa's advantage by heading home Alysson's inswinging corner before Boubacar Kamara added a third shortly after his introduction in the second half to complete a convincing win.

The performance continued Villa's encouraging preparations for the new campaign despite the concerns over McGinn and Garnacho.

Key points

Aston Villa now travel to Hong Kong, where they are scheduled to face Bayern Munich in their next pre-season fixture.

Much of the focus before that match will be on McGinn's fitness, with the club expected to assess the midfielder's knee injury over the coming days before determining his availability.