Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn was undoubtedly one of Unai Emery’s top performers this season, with the Scotland international proving to be one of the Premier League’s best too.
What a season it’s been for Aston Villa who secured a fourth-place finish and a spot in next year’s Champions League for their achievements in 2023/24.
As well as orchestrating Villa’s highest Premier League finish since the 1995/96 campaign, Unai Emery oversaw an impressive journey in the Europa Conference League, as the Villans reached the semi-final of the tournament.
It’s been the season of dreams for Villa, who couldn’t have imagined where they would be today at the start of the 2022/23 calendar when Steven Gerrard failed to impress before being replaced by Emery.
One player who has been instrumental in Villa’s success not just this season, but over the years, is John McGinn, who was named club captain in the summer of 2022.
The Scotsman has been one of Emery’s key players this term, prevailing as not just one of the best at Villa Park, but one of the Premier League’s top performers.
John McGinn was the best dribbler in the Premier League in the 2023/24 season
When revealing the end-of-season awards in the Premier League based on statistics, WhoScored unveiled McGinn as the best dribbler in the league.
The 29-year-old had the highest success rate out of the 39 players who had attempted 75+ dribbles in the league over the 2023/24 campaign with a success percentage of 67.1%.
What is interesting is the quality of McGinn’s dribbles in the league, with the Scotsman averaging the 18th-highest average of dribbles per game, but sported the best success rate.
It’s somewhat unsurprising to Villa fans who have seen the strength shown by McGinn throughout the campaign, with the skipper’s skillset translated no matter what position he plays.
John McGinn has been Aston Villa’s most reliable player this season
Ollie Watkins will stand out as Villa’s top performer for his outstanding 32 goal contributions in the Premier League however, not many at Villa have been as consistent as McGinn.
The Scotland international has rarely dipped below par over 2023/24, being asked to play a range of positions to assist Emery in keeping the squad afloat when injury crisis’ struck.
During the campaign, the versatile midfielder was lauded as ‘magnificent’ by TNT Sports pundit Paul Dempsey, one of many instances of high praise fired in the captain’s direction.
There is a no-nonsense aura about McGinn, who shows such standards when on the pitch, highlighted by his high success rate in his numbers, particularly his dribbling with the Scotsman unable to be dispossessed when in possession.
It’s been a special season for Villa’s number seven, who has been a significant part of the squad from the Championship to the Champions League, with no doubts that the standards will be there once more next campaign.
