Tyrone Mings reacts as Steven Gerrard hands Aston Villa captaincy to John McGinn
Now-former Aston Villa skipper Tyrone Mings has reacted to the news that John McGinn will be the new captain by throwing his support behind the Scot.
As reported by The Athletic on Wednesday (27 July), manager Steven Gerrard has decided to promote the former vice-captain to wear the arm-band full time, despite previous holder Mings still being at Villa Park.
The 29-year-old had led the Villans since Jack Grealish’s £100million move to Manchester City last summer, and has made a total of 105 Premier League appearances for the club.
The Lions boss suggested that removing the captaincy from the centre-back would be a benefit, saying via The Athletic: “Naturally, I have had to have a discussion with Tyrone Mings and have explained my reasons for making this decision.
“More importantly, I believe that not having the responsibility of the captaincy will allow Tyrone to focus more on his own game which can only benefit him and the team.”
Writing on his personal Twitter account after the news was announced, the England international said: “For me this isn’t about John or I, it’s about what’s right for Aston Villa. I have no issues with the managers decision; I’ve loved leading this team.
“Anyone who knows [John McGinn] knows how infectious he is and it will be an honour to play underneath his captaincy”.
Team player
Such an awkward transaction could have easily led to a fractured dressing room if there was resentment on Mings’ part, and correspondingly from players close to him.
He has moved quickly to squash that by posting a strong positive reaction to what essentially amounts to a demotion, which is clearly a credit to him and will certainly go down well with supporters.
Gerrard appears to be suggesting that his game has suffered with the added pressure, but the conversation between the two must have been cordial for this to be the outcome.
That pressure is now on McGinn, at the club since 2018, and after Gerrard has overseen an eventful transfer window it is imperative that the Scottish international marshals the troops towards strong results from the off.
Usually a player is only stripped of the armband if they have actively performed some sort of indiscretion, so it is a bold move on the manager’s part to risk causing disharmony in the squad.
Mings would probably have been within his rights to take it as a slight, but he is clearly invested in the project so if it ultimately leads to the club climbing up the Premier League then it will be an overall benefit.
Ironically he has shown the sort of maturity that suggests he is probably a pretty good option at skipper, but a team will tend to benefit from as many such characters as they can fit whether they officially hold the title or not.
In other Aston Villa news, the leaked list of club fines pre-dates Gerrard’s arrival at the club.