John McGinn News

Boubacar Kamara injury update as Aston Villa receive major boost

Boubacar Kamara hopes to feature in Aston Villa’s pre-season schedule as he nears a return from injury. The midfielder missed the second half of Villa’s season after suffering a knee injury during their FA Cup third-round trip to Tottenham Hotspur in January. Sidelined with a tear of the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), rather than the more commonly feared anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), Kamara underwent surgery later that month to address the issue. According to The Athletic , Kamara is targeting a return to full fitness in time for the start of Villa’s pre-season, having made strong progress in his rehabilitation. If he can regain match fitness in time for Villa’s opening game of the season against Brighton & Hove Albion — or even the Super Cup clash with Paris Saint-Germain - it would provide a significant boost. Manager Unai Emery was hit hard by injuries at the start of the year, losing Kamara, John McGinn, and Youri Tielemans within the space of a fortnight. That setback disrupted Villa’s momentum after a remarkable run of 11 consecutive wins in all competitions, during which they were pushing Arsenal and Manchester City at the top of the table, having beaten both sides at home earlier in the campaign. Every day, the BirminghamLive football desk strive to deliver news, features and transfer-related stories as a part of our overall package of Aston Villa content. Our dedicated reporter John Townley - who you can follow on X - follows Villa home and away and offers you comprehensive coverage from matchdays, press conferences and everything that happens in between. You can keep on top of the very latest updates when they occur with our free daily Aston Villa newsletter , giving you a round-up of the key stories in your email inbox. If you want your favourite content straight to your phone, then sign up to get breaking updates and the biggest stories in and around the club on WhatsApp. You can also get the latest Villa stories on your phone via the BirminghamLive app - which you can personalise - either on Apple or Android. And our weekly Aston Villa podcast, Claret and Blue, available to watch and listen on all major streaming services. You can subscribe to the YouTube channel , or access the podcast on Spotify or via Apple.

2026-06-20

Scotland rue ‘50/50’ penalty calls in defeat: ‘Morocco got away with one there’

Steve Clarke believes Scotland were unfortunate not to be awarded at least one penalty during their 1-0 defeat by Morocco. In separate incidents, John McGinn and Scott McTominay appealed vociferously for spot-kicks under challenges from Morocco players. McGinn later insisted the defender Neil El Aynaoui “took me out”. While Clarke steered well clear of castigating the match officials, he clearly felt the decisions were borderline and suggested Morocco’s Issa Diop could have been sent off early in the game. The deciding goal arrived after just 70 seconds, with Scotland spirited in the second half. “Everyone when I did my television interviews was talking about the Scott McTominay one,” Clarke said. “That is the one I didn’t watch back. I thought the John McGinn one was 50/50. Some would give it and I think if the referee gives it, the VAR [video assistant referee] doesn’t overturn it. So I can only speak on that one.” Clarke volunteered opinion on Diop, who was booked for a foul on the Scotland striker Ché Adams. “I was a little bit 50/50 as well on the Ché Adams [challenge], last man,” Clarke added. “He had a chance to go through one-on-one with the goalkeeper and is brought down. The referee chooses yellow. There is nothing we can do about it.” Assessing his own incident, McGinn said: “Sometimes that goes for you. If we got a couple of those penalty decisions for us, I don’t think VAR intervenes. Out the corner of my eye, I could see [the Morocco defender] charging in. I got first contact to the ball and he took me out. It’s a penalty kick for me. Sometimes you get them, sometimes you don’t. If it was given on the field, no chance it’s overturned. “Morocco have got away with one there. But we need to be better and create chances from open play, not rely on referee’s decisions.” Scotland’s attention will shortly turn to Wednesday and a game with Brazil in Miami that will determine whether they advance from the group stage for the first time ever. “I am proud of the players but obviously we are all devastated,” said Clarke. “The players will suffer a bit over the next 48 hours. They don’t like losing against anybody. “Right throughout the team, Morocco had a bit of class. But we gave it a good go. Morocco know they have been in a game tonight. We have shown we can compete at this level.” Clarke, who singled out Lewis Ferguson for praise for a second game in succession, allayed fears over the second-half problem that led to Kieran Tierney’s departure. Scotland’s manager said Tierney had only suffered cramp before being replaced by Ben Gannon-Doak.

2026-06-20

Tielemans starts party as Aston Villa outclass Freiburg to claim Europa League glory

Where would you like your statue, Mr Emery? Even before this emphatic Europa League triumph, Aston Villa supporters could hardly have held their manager in greater esteem. But now Emery, in winning the competition for a record fifth time, has delivered the thing he always wanted, a trophy to show for his transformative body of work. Those who were not around for Rotterdam in 1982 will always cherish Istanbul in 2026. Thomas Tuchel had it right a few years ago when he suggested Uefa might as well rename the Europa League the Unai Emery trophy. Was there a better image on an unforgettable night than the sight of Emiliano Martínez giving his manager a piggyback as Villa got the celebrations under way? Villa’s squad formed a guard of honour for Freiburg, game but ultimately overpowered opponents, and then set about giving Emery the bumps as he walked on to the podium erected on the pitch. John McGinn, Villa’s superb captain, was the last to collect his medal from Uefa’s president, Aleksander Ceferin, before lifting the handleless trophy. Before long McGinn was darting towards the sea of delirious Villa fans crooning to We Are the Champions, showcasing the prize in all its glory, the engraving still raw. Villa’s players took it in turns to hoist the trophy overhead. So, too, did Villa’s co-owners, Nassef Sawiris, wearing a claret and blue scarf, and Wes Edens. Up in the VIP seats the Prince of Wales, an avid Villa supporter who admits to perusing Villa forums under a pseudonym, wanted to capture the moment just like everybody else, filming the trophy lift on his iPhone. “Huge congratulations to all the players, team, staff and everyone connected to the club,” William posted on social media. Just like 1982, it was Villa in white against German opponents in red; this time Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendía and Morgan Rogers the scorers. All three goals were sparkling, Tielemans and Buendía scoring beauties to put Villa in the box seat within seven minutes of each other at the end of the first half, before Rogers got in on the act approaching the hour. It felt like a procession once Buendía curled a left-foot peach into the top corner with the final kick of the first half and, as a contest, it was a non-event from the moment Rogers’s smart movement at the front post was rewarded. Mind you, try telling that to the Villa faithful who came in their numbers. Villa’s official allocation was 10,758 but about double that figure travelled. There was a Brummie takeover on Taksim Square, the supporters determined to savour a first continental final for 44 years. For Freiburg, this comfortably represented the biggest occasion in their 121-year history and they were always planning to celebrate a groundbreaking season on their return to south-west Germany. While a generation of Villa supporters arrived in Turkey desperate to see their team lift their first silverware since the League Cup in 1996, Freiburg arrived without a single trophy in their cabinet. Villa, guaranteed a place in the Champions League next season, entered as heavy favourites and soon assumed control. Supporters proudly sang of 1982 and nine of that team were present. One of those, Nigel Spink, came on after nine minutes when Jimmy Rimmer was forced off through injury and there was a whiff of deja vu here. Martínez required treatment in the warm-up, with the goalkeeper coach, Javi García, taping his hand.. Martínez later revealed that he had broken his finger, but concerns he would be unable to play were short-lived. The keeper charged out before kick-off, fist pumping with his right hand towards the Villa fans behind the goal. Any wider nerves had evaporated by the interval. Tielemans gave Villa a leg up on 41 minutes with a pure volley from Rogers’s expertly weighted cross from a short-corner routine. The ball seemed to drop in slow motion but Tielemans read it all the way, smashing it home with his laces. Then Buendía controlled McGinn’s pass on the edge of the box with his right foot and, with his next touch, sent a stunning left-foot shot into the top corner. It was the final kick of the half and it felt like the goal that killed their opponents. Until the first goal, Villa had been the better team but there were a couple of anxious moments, none more so than Matty Cash’s high challenge on Vincenzo Grifo. The defender got away with a booking but the replays showed that after taking the ball he followed through on the midfielder’s shin with his studs. Johan Manzambi was lively and Nicolas Höfler had the game’s first real chance, dragging wide after Pau Torres headed clear a free-kick. Villa extended their lead approaching the hour. Lucas Digne released Buendía down the left and the midfielder faced up Lukas Kübler then sent a teasing cross towards the front post. Rogers expertly traded places with Ollie Watkins to squeeze the ball in. Amadou Onana, introduced midway through the second half, headed against a post and Buendía rattled the side netting when his second and a Villa fourth felt inevitable. Emery, the author of this story, bounced on the touchline. For the fans here, in Birmingham and beyond, the wait is over, the party just getting started.

2026-05-20

Aston Villa beats Lille to reach Europa League quarterfinals

John McGinn scored and Aston Villa advanced to the quarterfinals of a European competition for the third straight year with a 2-0 victory over Lille. Villa, protecting a 1-0 lead in the return leg of the Europa League round of 16, advanced 3-0 on aggregate on Thursday to set up a quarterfinal against Bologna, which beat Roma 4-3 after extra time to advance 5-4 on aggregate. McGinn, who only returned from a knee injury a week ago, completed a move started by Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who fed Jadon Sancho with a long pass to assist the Villa captain in the second half. Substitute Leon Bailey sealed the victory late on. Perfect penalties: Nottingham Forest reached the quarterfinals after prevailing over Midtjylland on penalties in Denmark. Substitutes Morgan Gibbs-White, Ibrahim Sangare and Neco Williams all converted from the spot while Midtjylland missed all three of their penalties. Midtjylland had stunned Forest 1-0 in the round-of-16 first leg at the City Ground, but Nicolas Dominguez and Ryan Yates scored for the visitors on Thursday. It seemed the English team was heading for the last eight before Midtjylland’s Martin Erlic scored to make the aggregate score 2-2 to force extra time. Forest coach Vitor Pereira had rested several first-choice players ahead of a key Premier League game against Tottenham on Sunday. Both teams are just above the relegation zone. Forest won the right to face Porto. William Gomes and substitute Victor Froholt scored for the Portuguese side to beat Stuttgart 2-0 at home for a 4-1 aggregate success. The Bundesliga side finished the game with 10 men. A 1-0 lead from the first leg was not enough for Panathinaikos against Real Betis, which surged to a 4-0 victory at Seville to set up a last-eight encounter with Braga. League winners out: Nine-man Lyon, the winner of the league phase, was eliminated by Celta Vigo in a 2-0 home loss following a 1-1 draw in Spain. A red card for Lyon defender Moussa Niakhate in the 19th minute proved to be decisive. Celta kept Lyon goalkeeper Dominik Greif busy until Javi Rueda’s close-range finish on the hour. Ferran Jutgla added the second on a counter in stoppage time. Shortly after that, Nicolas Tagliafico also received a red card. Celta will meet Freiburg in the quarterfinals. The German team reached the last eight for the first time after easing to a 5-1 home win over Genk to overturn a 1-0 loss from the first leg in Belgium. Sarr saves Crystal Palace: In the third-tier Conference League, Ismaila Sarr scored his second goal in extra time to lift Crystal Palace 2-1 over 10-man Larnaca and send the English team to the last eight in its first European campaign. The teams drew 0-0 last week in London. Sarr put Crystal Palace ahead before Enric Saborit equalized, forcing extra time in Cyprus. Saborit was later ejected. Crystal Palace will next face two-time runner-up Fiorentina, which won 2-1 at Polish team Rakow for a 4-2 aggregate win.

2026-03-21

Emi Martinez: Aston Villa goalkeeper puts them closer to Europa League glory under Unai Emery

Villa's financial position has left them struggling to compete in the transfer market. Two years ago, when they reached the Champions League, they had to sell Douglas Luiz to Juventus for £42.5m to balance the books. Last summer academy graduate Jacob Ramsey joined Newcastle for £40m. Returning to the Champions League will solve many financial headaches for Villa and potentially allow them to spend and strengthen. The club feel adhering to the Premier League and Uefa financial rules is unfair. They agree there needs to be regulation but believe the regulations do not work alongside each other. England's top-flight clubs have voted to move to a system called squad cost ratio (SCR) next season. This allows teams to spend 85% of their income on player costs, although a complicated set of factors means clubs could go as high as 115%. Uefa's SCR spending limit is 70%, which all clubs in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League must adhere to. European football expert Julien Laurens told BBC Radio 5Live: "They need Champions League football next season. They need that money to balance the books. "We know the restrictions are there financially. They need that money or they will have to sell players. "It's crucial for them - whether they do it by winning the Europa League or finishing top five in the Premier League, right now they can't prioritise one over the other. "They have to go for both at full strength to hope that one of them pays off and they make it. If they don't make it the summer could be difficult for them."

2026-03-20

Villa must be brutal in summer window with ageing squad in need of refreshing

2026-03-14