Aston Villa: Graeme Souness lauds John McGinn after what he did
Graeme Souness has lauded Aston Villa attacking midfielder John McGinn for his exploits in the Premier League under Unai Emery.
Scotland are competing at EURO 2024 in Germany and McGinn is expected to be among the first names on the team sheet for Steve Clarke’s side.
The 29-year-old has been a first-team regular for Villa this season, making 28 Premier League appearances.
The Daily Record quoted Souness (20 March) as saying:
“McGinn is a super player. You certainly wouldn’t like to play against him. He can bully opponents. He’s strong and powerful.”
Versatile McGinn key for Aston Villa and Unai Emery
One aspect of the Scotland international’s game that Emery will really appreciate is his versaitlity.
McGinn has been deployed in a plethora of roles this season and has excelled regardless of where he’s played.
He’s played as a left-back, central midfielder, attacking midfielder, right winger, left winger and a central striker as well.
The 29-year-old has managed to score six league goals and provide three assists – being an important player in the final third for the Villans.
Despite playing in a fairly advanced role, he’s got a pass accuracy over 82 per cent – which is an impressive feat.
Pass master McGinn pivotal in Aston Villa v Ajax
In the recent UEFA Europa Conference League drubbing of Ajax, McGinn was deployed in a deeper role and once again had a telling impact on the game.
Per Sofascore, he achieved a 100 per cent pass accuracy with his long passes as he completed all three of his attempts.
His overall pass accuracy was 91 per cent as he absolutely bossed the midfield for Emery’s side.
He even won the majority of his ground duels and ended up winning three fouls which showed that he was not afraid to put his body on the line for the team.
McGinn also made three tackles in the game and barring the one Premier League red card this season, there is not much wrong he has done.
If Villa are to qualify for the Champions League, a lot of it will have to do with how the midfielder fares over the next two months.
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