Dean Smith refuses to rule John McGinn out of a possible Wembley return for Aston Villa
Villa boss Dean Smith has refused to rule out a Carabao Cup final return for John McGinn.
Midfield ace McGinn has been sidelined since suffering a fractured ankle in Villa’s 3-1 defeat to Southampton last month.
The Scotland international is due to be out of a protective boot in the next week, at which point Villa will step up his recovery.
Villa face Manchester City on March 1 at Wembley and though McGinn was not expected to return until several weeks after that date, Smith did not rule out a swifter comeback.
“Knowing John, he would probably have pencilled in the cup final; knowing the medical staff, they will have rubbed that out,” said the Villa boss.
“He is a fighter and a quick healer. I would not rule it out.
“He has a big date with the Euros (with Scotland) as well. He will be itching to get back, that is for sure.
“He has been doing a lot of work in the pool and is due to come out of the protective boot. Once that happens, we can start advancing his recovery.”
Smith has no fresh injury concerns ahead of Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth.
