Matt Maher: Added time is adding fuel to players’ welfare issue

Down near the Molineux dressing rooms, 45 minutes or so after Sunday’s final whistle, the Villa skipper stood reflecting on his team’s start to the season and the international break.

“The lads will now have a rest,” he began. Then came a pause and the smile, as he continued: “Some of us, obviously, will get back on the horse for a game in a few days.”

For McGinn, a crucial component of two teams in Villa and Scotland, there is no let-up, albeit he can rarely have experienced a schedule quite like his current one.

Last night’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Spain was his 16th appearance for club and country in a season which began only 62 days ago, an average of a match every four days. Already, the midfielder is a third of the way to matching his total appearances, both domestic and international, from the whole of last season.

Such are the consequences of success, in a campaign where Villa are back competing in Europe for the first time in more than a decade. McGinn, the most grounded of Premier League players who fully understands the privilege of being able to play sport for a living, wouldn’t want it any other way.

His sole frustration is appearances now last longer than ever before. Sunday’s comments on the international break led into a discussion about the Premier League’s new stoppage time rules during which McGinn, in his own considered way, was typically forthright.