However after surgery, McGinn has returned well ahead of schedule to boost Villa's Champions League hopes and also be part of this week's pre-World Cup friendlies with Scotland.
"I was scared," he told BBC Sport. "I remember right away feeling, oh this isn't right. It was 10, 15 minutes into the game, I blocked a pass against Everton and I knew right away, so my hand goes up and obviously I've known experienced players who have done serious knee injuries six months plus feeling able to walk off.
"I was petrified really, but then you get the scan and you wait and thankfully it was good news that it was only a minor knee injury.
"The knee obviously reacts in different ways to surgery, but it could have been a lot, lot worse. It was expected to be six to eight weeks. Managed to come back in six weeks."
McGinn admits he considered putting off surgery.
"I thought it was an important time for the club, an important time of the season, big games, but then, as the days went on, it started to swell more and there was more fluid in the knee," he recalls.
"So, as much as I like to think I could have braved on, it was clear quite soon that I needed the surgery. As you get older, of course, you need to look after your body. I'm 31 now, so to do anything crazy would be wild."