Aston Villa captain John McGinn has received an abundance of praise for his performances this season, with former teammate Yannick Bolasie the latest to laud the Scotsman.
Aston Villa captain John McGinn has been one of Unai Emery’s most integral players this season, stepping up for the club in times of need.
While the Scotsman has played the majority of the campaign in the advanced areas of the XI, the 29-year-old has recently shown his versatility to drop into midfield.
Following the season-ending injury to Boubacar Kamara, McGinn was forced to cover for the Frenchman in the engine room, a shift that he has so far thrived in to ease Villa’s woes without their star midfielder.
Aside from being a strong leader, midfielder and attacker, the Scotland international’s most dominant trait is his consistency, being a figure Emery can always call on.
Aston Villa can always rely on John McGinn
Having played all 26 of Villa’s Premier League fixtures this season, the skipper’s performance levels rarely drop below par, with the manager showering his captain with praise this season.
Speaking after Villa’s win over Fulham earlier this month, Emery praised the midfielder for his “spirit” amid the squad’s injury woes.
“John McGinn’s spirit is amazing, his qualities as well, when the match needed something more, he responded very well.”
McGinn is a well-loved figure at Villa Park for the consistency and mentality he’s shown over the years, with one of his old teammates recently joining Emery in his praise for the Scot.
What Yannick Bolasie has said about John McGinn
Speaking on the FilthyFellas podcast, Yannick Bolasie had a few words to say about McGinn when prompted by the panel.
The former Villa winger shared a time that left him stunned by the 29-year-old’s ability when he first arrived at the club, despite others thinking differently prior.
“I remember he came in and was just shooting every time. Everyone would say ‘why is he always shooting’ then he put a volley in the top bins and no one said nothing after that. The left foot oof.”
Villa fans will know all too well how good of a finisher McGinn can be, with his goal tally this season reading six after 26 games played.
The versatile asset’s finishing has been a topic spoken about frequently of late, with the skipper telling the Villa News & Record, relayed by BirminghamLive, that his goalscoring target made Emery laugh.
“The manager put it on my toes at the start of the season that I needed to score more goals. I promised him ten and he had a wee laugh at me.”
With 12 games to go in the Premier League season, McGinn needs just four goals to hit his desired tally, which could leave the boss aiming to lift his target once more next season.
