John McGinn at left-back? Unai Emery faces another Aston Villa selection headache

Aston Villa's problems at left-back have become one of the more frustrating developments of the last few weeks, particularly when you consider how much depth the club appeared to have in that position heading into the season. Injuries to Ian Maatsen and Matteo Ruggeri have left Unai Emery searching for solutions, and with Aaron Wan-Bissaka now joining the injury list following the victory at Newcastle, there's a real possibility that we could see something quite unconventional against Viking in the Champions League.

I actually think John McGinn could be a really interesting option, and while I appreciate that playing him at left-back wouldn't necessarily be everybody's first choice, there are a few reasons why I believe it makes sense. We've seen McGinn operate in numerous different positions since Emery arrived at Aston Villa, and one of his greatest strengths is his ability to understand what the manager wants from him, regardless of where he's asked to play. He's tactically intelligent, physically robust and has the sort of engine that would allow him to cope with the demands of playing in a position that requires a significant amount of running.

There's also the fact that he's naturally left-footed, which I think is an important consideration when you're trying to maintain some balance in the team. Villa have occasionally looked a little uncomfortable when asking players to operate on the opposite side of the pitch, particularly when they're receiving the ball under pressure or trying to provide width in attacking situations. McGinn wouldn't necessarily give you the overlapping runs or attacking instincts of a conventional full-back, but he would provide a level of familiarity with the ball on that side, and I certainly wouldn't have any concerns about his commitment to the defensive responsibilities.

The alternatives are interesting because I suspect Emery might be more inclined to use Pau Torres or Tyrone Mings in the position, particularly if he wants to maintain a more conventional defensive structure. Both have the physical attributes to compete defensively, and Pau's ability on the ball could help Villa build attacks from the left, but I do wonder whether there's an unnecessary risk involved in asking either of them to play there, especially with Manchester City coming up at the weekend.

Playing at full-back places different physical demands on a player compared with operating centrally. There's considerably more turning, acceleration and recovery running involved, particularly when you're facing opponents who want to attack in wide areas, and the last thing Villa need is another injury to a defender who's being asked to operate outside his usual position. Given the problems we've already experienced, I would be reluctant to put either Pau or Mings through that additional workload if there's a sensible alternative available.

Viking's performance against Bayern Munich makes the decision even more interesting because their wide players caused the German side plenty of problems, and I think whoever plays at left-back for Villa is going to have to be switched on defensively. This isn't necessarily a fixture where you can simply put somebody into the position and expect them to spend the entire evening playing in the opposition half, because Viking have already shown they're capable of exploiting space when teams commit players forward.

There are younger options available to Emery, with Rodrigo Fortes among the players named on Villa's Champions League B list, but he played today in youth version of the Champions League.

Victor Lindelöf is another player who has operated at full-back during his career, although I wouldn't particularly want to move him away from the centre of defence given how well he's been performing. He's arguably been Villa's most consistent centre-back in recent weeks, and when you've got a player providing that level of assurance in an important position, I don't think there's much benefit in disrupting it unless you absolutely have to.

The encouraging development is that Maatsen has returned to training, although that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be ready to start against Viking after his spell on the sidelines. Emery confirmed his return ahead of the game, while also ruling out Wan-Bissaka and Johan Manzambi. 

It gives the manager another possibility to consider, but with Manchester City on the horizon, I would imagine Villa will be careful about how quickly Maatsen is brought back into competitive action.

That's ultimately why I keep coming back to McGinn. I don't think it would be a long-term solution, and I certainly wouldn't advocate moving him away from midfield permanently, but for one Champions League fixture it could be a sensible way of managing a difficult situation without compromising the central defensive partnership or taking unnecessary risks with players returning from injury.

Emery has demonstrated throughout his time at Villa that he's prepared to ask players to operate in unfamiliar positions if he believes it benefits the team, and McGinn has probably been one of the best examples of that flexibility. Whether the manager sees it the same way remains to be seen, but with Villa trying to balance another important European fixture against the demands of the Premier League, I wouldn't be surprised if he produces a solution that few people would have predicted at the start of the season.

And if that solution happens to be John McGinn at left-back, I'd have plenty of confidence in him doing the job.