It’s been more than a week since Steven Gerrard was appointed Aston Villa manager and the 41-year-old is nearing his first game in charge – Saturday’s home clash with Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Midlands outfit are currently 16th in the Premier League table and closer to the relegation zone than top-half, but they have a good squad of players capable of doing much better.
One talented player they have is John McGinn, who Alan Hutton says has the admiration of Gerrard because of his qualities on the pitch. He told Football Insider: “Steven Gerrard is bursting to meet John and I think it’ll be the same the other way. It’s a conversation I’ve had.
“John fits that mould of player that he loves. He loves midfielders who are combative, can get about the pitch, can make things happen. John does all those things at such a high level. I’m pretty sure he will be really looking forward to working with him.”
McGinn joined Villa from Hibernian in 2018 and has gone on to make 121 appearances in all competitions, scoring 15 goals with 20 assists. The Scottish international, who boasts 11 goals from 42 games for his country, is a fantastic box-to-box midfielder who can turn over possession and provide creativity at the other end.
McGinn has high levels of industry and pops up with a goal or two, so Gerrard will certainly be excited to have him at his disposal ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Brighton.
In other news, fans on social media react as Neil Taylor signs short-term deal at new club
