Credit: Imago

Scott Mason

Wed 25 March 2026 19:20, UK

John McGinn could prove pivotal for Aston Villa in the closing stages of the season with an impressive win rate emerging for the Scot.

The midfielder has recently returned from an injury which kept him sidelined for just under two months.

During the period in which he was unavailable, the Villans had struggled to bring in results, with just two wins in eight matches.

Since his comeback, his influence has already been duly noted as he opened the score against West Ham.

Now, as Aston Villa’s games tick down, and with Champions League football within their grasp, getting McGinn into goalscoring positions could be a defining factor for this season’s success.

Why is John McGinn scoring crucial for Aston Villa?

McGinn’s return from injury was extremely timely, with Aston Villa’s season on a knife’s edge of slipping away.

Although the Birmingham-based club has a five-point gap over fifth place, at one point, it became a lot closer.

When McGinn scores for the Villa Park outfit, the typical outcome for Unai Emery’s side is a win. Across 21 games where the Villa midfielder has scored, the B6 side have won 20 games.

That gives the 31-year-old a win rate of 95 per cent when he scores.

As the season comes to a close, having a player who can be as decisive as McGinn will be crucial for Villa’s prospects of Champions League football.

As captain, the Scotsman embodies the role of a leader, leading by example when his side needs it most.

With a record such as that, Emery may be best off trying to engineer more goalscoring chances for him.

Unai Emery must be careful with John McGinn

Keeping McGinn fit is a priority for Emery now, and that much is clear from his win record when scoring. He is a pivotal player in how the Villans play.

Only Morgan Rogers (40) has more key passes completed this season than McGinn (27), as per Sofascore. Despite being injured for some time, McGinn is sixth in most minutes played (1735) this season at Villa.

During the international break, Emery will be watching closely as his captain competes for Scotland.

The Aston Villa manager will be secretly hoping the midfielder has limited involvement and is preserved for the Premier League run-in.

He has already played plenty of football, and the risk of aggravating his previous injury is there.