John McGinn has found some much-needed confidence after his struggles for Aston Villa.
Unai Emery has proved that even the captain can find himself on the bench because that is exactly what happened to the midfielder.
Aston Villa were beaten 2-0 by Liverpool before the international break, with McGinn dropped by his manager after a poor run of performances.
McGinn couldn’t have too many complaints because, not only isn’t he performing, but Villa have also lost four matches in all competitions.
That’s why going on national duty was much needed for the player because it’s a change of scenery and a chance to reset for the player.
But, unfortunately for McGinn, that sitting on the bench theme continued when Scotland faced Croatia in a crucial UEFA Nations League encounter on Friday evening.
John McGinn comments on form for Aston Villa after scoring for Scotland
Just after the hour mark, Scotland boss Steve Clarke turned to his experienced star, with the scores 0-0 against ten-man Croatia.
With Luka Modric on the other side, the Aston Villa man stole the headlines and scored a crucial goal with minutes left on the clock.
Eric Cantona once upon a time made reference to ‘seagulls’ during a famous, or infamous, depending on how you want to look at it, press conference after his Kung-Fu kick on a Crystal Palace supporter in 1995.
Now, the Villa star isn’t exactly coming off that platform, but he referred to a ‘seagull’ in his own unique way after McGinn scored against Croatia, as he told Scotland’s official YouTube account.
“It was just some kind of tactical things,” responded McGinn on what his Scotland manager told him before he came on against Croatia. “To go and play in the centre of the pitch, which I haven’t done for a while for Scotland.
“Really disappointed not to start the game, but it’s football. A lot of times in my career I have been fortunate to hang on to the jersey at times. It was up to me. Keep the head. Try and be positive for the group. Then, when called upon, try to keep it under the bar instead of over the bar, which I have done for a long time for Scotland. A bit of relief for me and the boys.
On his goal: “For Villa and Scotland, normally that gets blocked, ends up hitting a seagull or going somewhere else apart from the net. Thankfully, it goes in and you can see the relief. It has been a tough couple of weeks for club and country, for me, the relief of getting back on the scoresheet and getting going again.”
Eric Cantona’s famous ‘seagulls’ quote after Kung-Fu kicking Crystal Palace supporter
Cantona will go down as one of the greatest players in Premier League history, but also one of the great characters in the game.
You just wonder how the modern-day media would have reacted to the cool, calm and outspoken Frenchman because it would have been entertaining of the highest order.
After the former Manchester United star Kung Fu kicked a Crystal Palace supporter in 1995, he held a press conference where he delivered one of the great lines in football history, as posted by Sky Sports Retro.
“When the seagulls follow the trawler, it’s because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea,” said Cantona.
