Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn is at risk of missing the club's play-off campaign, should he pick up a further two bookings from now until the end of the season.
The tough-tackling Scotland international has been instrumental in Villa's play-off push this term, but has faced criticism over his discipline, picking up an astonishing 13 yellow cards so far this season.
The 24-year-old has already served a two-match suspension for obtaining 10 yellow cards, but should he hit 15 before the end of the campaign, FA rules stipulate that he'll have to serve a further three-match ban, which would rule him out of the playoffs should the West Midlands outfit reach them.
Though local hero Jack Grealish has been the main player grabbing the headlines for Dean Smith's outfit this time out, McGinn is a vital member of Villa's starting lineup, and should he miss their all-important playoff fixtures, it would be a huge blow.
With six league goals and ten assists to his name this season, McGinn's importance to Dean Smith needs no explaining. The 48-year-old isn't worried about things just yet, however, saying that he'll only consider taking his star midfielder out of the firing line should he pick up one more booking.
“It would depend on where we were in the league at that time and whether we were mathematically certain of the play-offs, or whether he is playing well or not," said Smith, who's side currently sit fifth in the Championship after 43 games.
“At the moment it’s nothing to worry about, he is on 13. If he gets one on Friday then I will start worrying then. At the moment, I don’t need to,” added the former Brentford boss.
Villa are currently the Championship's most in-form side, winning their previous eight games on the bounce. They're currently playing second-bottom Bolton and face Millwall, Leeds and Norwich before the season draws to its conclusion in just over a fortnight's time.
