Aston Villa return to Premier League action at the weekend when they host Crystal Palace.
Unai Emery would have been glad for this recent international break, even if it’s unpopular with fans, because it allowed his team to reset and refresh.
Villa had lost four games in a row and they needed a break to just calm things down ahead of a gruelling winter period.
The international break itself provided mixed results for the Midlands side, with up-and-down performances from individual players, as well as injuries.
From Amadou Onana set to be sidelined to Jhon Duran suffering another defeat with Colombia.
That was the bad news, the good news was Lucas Digne was on fire for France and John McGinn scoring again for Scotland.
It needs to be noted that McGinn was dropped by Emery for Aston Villa’s defeat to Liverpool last time out, so he returns with a spring in his step.
One man who gets to see him up close and personal is Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson and he spoke in glowing terms about his fellow countryman.
Andy Robertson says ‘annoying’ John McGinn has ‘carried Scotland on his shoulders’
McGinn came off the bench to score the winner against Croatia, before opening the scoring during the dramatic 2-1 win in Poland.
It keeps alive Scotland’s UEFA Nations League hopes alive and it’s the same old faces performing.
Robertson told talkSPORT that McGinn can be ‘annoying’ off the field with how he jokes around with his teammates.
But the Scotland captain explained how he is a ‘fantastic footballer’, who for many years, was ‘carrying the nation on his own’.
“In the last campaign he was a massive miss, off the pitch and also on the pitch,” said Robertson. “John’s got so many qualities as a footballer. A fantastic footballer, who always pops up for Scotland.
“His goals tell you that. His performances tell you that. I am glad all the other lads came with him because at one point he was carrying this nation on his own, pretty much. Maybe four or five years ago. Then we all raised to his standard. We have all come with him.
“Off the pitch, he is integral to what we do in that changing room. He is the heartbeat of it. He keeps us going. He lifts the spirits. He annoys us at times. But that’s what he has got to do. He always makes us laugh. On the pitch, he is an incredible professional and an incredible player. I am delighted for him.”
McGinn pushing to become Scotland’s all-time leading goalscorer
It’s crazy and heartwarming to see the levels McGinn has reached in his career, after joining Villa in 2018 when they were in the Championship.
The levels he has got to are incredible, including guiding Villa to the Champions League and now possibly pushing towards writing his name into the legendary books of Scottish football.
McGinn is now on 20 Scotland goals – surpassing Ally McCoist – and is ten away from the leaders of the pack, Kenny Dalglish and Denis Law, as Stan Collymore posted on Twitter.
