Aston Villa boss Dean Smith has welcomed the selection headache that awaits him ahead of Sunday's derby with Birmingham regarding John McGinn.

The former Hibs midfielder has been one of Villa's best players this season but has missed the last two games through suspension.

And, with Villa thrashing Derby 4-0 last time out, it presents Smith with a real problem as to whether he should bring McGinn back, which he acknowledged when speaking to the club's media.

"It’s going to be hard to get John McGinn in this team," Smith enthused.

"It’s nice to have that problem. We’ve had an awful lot of injuries this year, which we probably haven’t spoken bout loads.

"It’s been a tough period with the injuries but to have a problem now, to try and get John McGinn back in the team is a very good problem to have."

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With star man Jack Grealish sure to start, it would mean Conor Hourihane or Glenn Whelan would miss out for the Scotland international to start in his natural midfield position.

However, Hourihane scored twice last week and Whelan is the more defensive player that gives the others a platform to play.

The Verdict

Surprisingly, this actually is a big problem for Smith and you wouldn't have thought that was possible given McGinn's season so far.

The manager will be taking a big risk if he changes a side that won 4-0 and they don't pick up three points.

Ultimately though, as he says, it's better to have problems like this and whoever does start will know they have to perform as Smith will have options on the bench.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.