Aston Villa captain John McGinn has come under the spotlight after Scotland’s 1-0 loss to Northern Ireland.
It was a night to forget for the Tartan Army, whose preparations for the European Championships in 2024 couldn’t be going any worse.
McGinn started for Steve Clarke’s side before being withdrawn with 12 minutes of play remaining.
Liverpool’s Conor Bradley capitalised on Nathan Patterson’s loose pass to fire Michael O’Neill’s side to a deserved victory.
Unsurprisingly, the defeat hasn’t gone down well north of the border and here’s what the Scottish media are saying about the Aston Villa man’s display.
Scottish media react to John McGinn performance v Northern Ireland
Football Scotland claimed the 29-year-old wasn’t at his best at Hampden Park. “Wasn’t at his best but still put in a number of decent crosses that weren’t gobbled up by anyone inside the area,” they wrote.
The Scotsman also highlighted that his performance was slightly off. They wrote: “This was not a typical Scotland performance from McGinn. He was never in control of possession and had two shots, one mishit in the first half and another just after the break straight at Bailey Peacock-Farrell. A lot of what he tried didn’t come off. Replaced by Stuart Armstrong. 5.”
The Edinburgh Evening News highlighted his effort but accepted it was a frustrating night. “Tenacious but left frustrated by a stubborn Northern Irish backline. Handed the armband following Robertson’s departure,” they wrote.
Finally, The Scottish Sun added: “Took armband after Robertson’s early exit. Battled hard but couldn’t spark the side into life. Second-half free-kick, which Cooper nodded wide, and wanted a pen after Spencer’s challenge. 6.”
Unfortunately for McGinn, he will have to spend further time out of the side after his reckless tackle against Tottenham Hotspur. His absence is a blow to Emery, with games against Manchester City and Wolves up next.
Villa will hope Jacob Ramsey will return for Saturday evening’s derby. Youri Tielemans is also in form after scoring a brace for Belgium at Wembley last night.
