Stan Collymore needs John McGinn to ‘cook’ as new Aston Villa verdict emerges
John McGinn will be massively important for Unai Emery if Aston Villa are to experience another successful campaign.
Emery has worked wonders during his first season at Villa Park, taking the Villans to a fourth-place finish in the Premier League and qualifying for the Champions League.
While Villa are yet to discover their opponents in the European tournament, McGinn has already been tipped to be one of Emery’s shining stars before Emery’s side kick off the new season against West Ham on Saturday 17 August.
Writing via X on Thursday (15 August), Stan Collymore wrote: “Give me one player from each unit (one defender, includes GK, one midfielder, one attacker) from your Premier League team that has to cook for your club to achieve your highest aims this season.
“For me, Emi Martinez, John McGinn, Ollie Watkins. Obvious for Villa – maybe not so for your club.”
While Martinez and Watkins are clear-cut choices, the Scotland international’s impact at Villa Park often flies under the radar, and with European competition on the horizon, McGinn will be needed more than ever.
John McGinn could hold the key to Aston Villa success
The 29-year-old midfielder has continued to be a consistent star for Villa since arriving from Hibernian for £2.75million [The Athletic], making 238 appearances to date.
Now wearing the captain’s armband, McGinn has become a true leader, even notching six goals and four assists in the Premier League as Villa beat Tottenham to Champions League qualification
According to FotMob, the midfielder’s best performance of the 2023/24 campaign came against Fulham in November, taking home an 8.7 rating and a goal.
He was all over the park, hitting the back of the net with a 100 per cent shot accuracy, completing 78 per cent of his dribbles (7/9), and winning 100 per cent of his tackles, while also winning seven fouls.
That just showcased his attacking talent, with his underlying stats suggesting that he does so much more for Emery’s team, and that will be vitally important for Villa’s success this season.
He finished the match having entered into 22 ground duels, winning 15 of them, giving him a 68 per cent win rate. Although this may not be as high as others, getting stuck into so many challenges just shows why he is so loved at the club.
Ranking in the top 91 percentile for non-penalty goals and the top 94 percentile for successful take-ons [FBref], Emery will need some of these statistics to translate to the Champions League if Villa want a successful season.
All eyes are on the skipper.
In other Aston Villa news, Unai Emery will be buzzing after what Jacob Ramsey did v Athletic Bilbao.
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