John McGinn confirms that he almost left the club upon the arrival of Unai Emery at Aston Villa last season.
Club captain, McGinn has been one of the main catalysts behind Villa’s recent surge in success.
Joining when the club after they were just defeated in the Championship playoff final, the feeling could not have been lower around Villa fans.
Yet, since McGinn’s arrival, he has helped resurge the team at Villa Park. The midfielder first took the Birmingham side back to the Premier League in his first season.
Now, five years later, McGinn who is now captain of the squad has led his side into their first European campaign for over a decade. This could well result in Villa’s first major trophy in over 30 years. On top of this, Champions League qualification looks a near certainty as the end of the current campaign approaches.
However, McGinn has now revealed that his time at the club also ended early after Emery’s arrival.
John McGinn thought he was ‘honking’
It is no secret that Villa were poor before Emery’s arrival. Under Steven Gerrard, the club were in a relegation battle before a 3-0 loss to Fulham saw him sacked last season.
McGinn was one of many players who were underperforming for Villa at the time and when Emery came in, he thought that would be the end of his career at the club.
He told TNT Sports: “I thought I was done. You kind of have a feeling as a player. At the time the supporters thought I was honking. I had just come out of the team and the team had started doing well again for a couple of games.
“You’re not stupid as a footballer, you think ‘right, you might have to start looking elsewhere’ which I did. I spoke to the manager and he had every stat, every detail on his notepad of appearances I had made for St Mirren, Hibs, goals.
“He said ‘what is my preferred position?’ and I said ‘just not on the bench like the last few games’. And he looked me through and I thought ‘oh what is he doing to say?’
“And he said seriously, and started circling positions. I said yes I’ll play there, yes I’ll play there.
“I think he was starting to get a gauge on why I wasn’t playing so well. He then brought up the Scotland goals, ‘why are you scoring like this for Scotland and why are you not for Aston Villa?’
“So maybe thank you to Steve Clark for playing me up the pitch because I said ‘I play here for Scotland’. It was kind of right ten, right wing, which I hadn’t done before [for Villa]. Steve Clarke put me in there, showed a bit of faith and started getting some goals.
“So from there he says okay, tomorrow, before we played Man Utd, ‘you might play, you might not’. I thought I’ve got a chance here. He’s brilliant.
“But the next game I was on the bench! But I came on and the next game I started and since then I’ve played the majority of the games and it has been good.”
Unai Emery works wonders again
It was always clear that McGinn had the potential to be a special footballer. There was a reason as to why Man United were once reportedly interested in the midfielder for around £50 million.
Under Gerrard, McGinn was not at his best. With the club facing another relegation battle, it is understandable why the Scotsman may think he was near his end.
Yet, Emery came into the club and worked his magic. Now, McGinn is easily one of Villa’s most important players. His performances have lightened up Villa Park this season, leading the side through a highly memorable campaign.
It makes you question where Villa would be if Emery didn’t walk through the door when he did. However, with those types of questions, it’s best just not to think about it.
