Former Aston Villa striker Kevin Phillips has tipped current star John McGinn to snub interest in him from other clubs in favour of staying at Villa Park this summer.
The Scottish international is reportedly a target for fellow Premier League sides Wolves and Leicester City.
McGinn has been out of action since December when he suffered an ankle injury against Southampton at Villa Park (The Telegraph).
However, Phillips feels that McGinn will stay at Villa even if the club gets relegated to the Championship.
As quoted on Football Insider, he said:
I do not see McGinn leaving if they go down.
He has been injured for virtually the whole season and he probably feels he owes Aston Villa one. If they do not go down he definitely will not leave.
When he is on fire he could play in most Premier League sides but I do not see him leaving.
I had a conversation with him earlier on and he is a nice kid. I got the impression he feels he wants to stay and try and help Villa whichever league they are in.
READ ASTON VILLA VERDICT
Phillips’ comments may come as a blow for Wolves because they’re reportedly keen to add to their midfield options, with McGinn understood to be one of their targets for the summer transfer window.
On the other hand, the pundit’s remarks will be welcomed by everyone at Villa because we believe he is an important player for the team, proven by the fact that he had three league goals and two assists before his injury, the third-best return in the squad behind Jack Grealish and Wesley (WhoScored).
With Grealish’s future at the club uncertain, we feel that keeping McGinn should be a priority because of his box-to-box ability.
We believe that he adds value at both ends of the pitch, shown by his attacking return mentioned above and his defensive work, such as his 45 tackles and 16 interceptions in the league this season (PremierLeague.com).
He’s won 138 duels this term and finding a player who can impact the game at both ends can prove to be difficult, so we believe that holding on to McGinn will help the club, even if they suffer relegation.
