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Aston Villa ace John McGinn continues versatile role with 8/10 in Scotland win v Norway
Aston Villa may have finished their season, but several of their stars remain in action due to the current international fixtures.
And one ace that has been involved in the thick of the action for his country is midfielder John McGinn, with the Scotland international a key figure under manager Steve Clarke.
A regular for his club this season, the 28-year-old registered one goal and three assists as Villa clinched European football under Unai Emery.
McGinn wasn’t among the goals in Scotland’s most recent encounter against Norway on Saturday (17 June), but every other area of his game was on point as his nation recorded a memorable 2-1 win in Oslo.
The inevitable Erling Haaland put the hosts in front from the spot just after the hour mark, but Clarke’s men turned it around thanks to very late goals from Lyndon Dykes and Kenny McLean.
But national media also recognised the key role that midfielder McGinn played all over the pitch in the unforgettable victory.
Handing the Aston Villa ace a match rating of eight, the Daily Record (page 49, 19 June) wrote: “Terrific taking ball on the turn and winning free-kicks to give backline a breather.
“More effective driving forward. Had a hand in thrilling finale.”
As he did for his club this season, McGinn produced a top performance both defensively and offensively, with the 28-year-old proving to be one of the most versatile players in the Premier League at this moment in time.
It is indeed the attacking side of his game that has really come to light in recent times, at least for Scotland, with McGinn scoring once from his three Euro 2024 qualifiers so far, which follows on from his two goals in six UEFA Nations League B matches, as per WhoScored.
The Aston Villa star also registered two assists in those six matches, finishing the group with 3.2 shots per game [WhoScored], showing his tenacity to get forward as much as possible.
In other Aston Villa news, one Villa youngster is one of Europe’s most exciting players as his £56m transfer value emerges.