Aston Villa confirmed on Wednesday that John McGinn would be the new captain, stripping Tyrone Mings of the responsibility. Emiliano Martinez is now vice-captain while Ashley Young is the club captain, but Gabriel Agbonlahor believes Mings ‘will be upset’ to lose the armband.
He told talkSPORT: “I think Mings will be a bit upset, because you can tell he enjoyed (being captain at Villa). So to lose it, he has to be really upset. Steven Gerrard, one of the best midfielders to play in the Premier League, was captain at Liverpool and will love that John McGinn likes to get at people on the pitch.”
The 29-year-old, who has missed just four Premier League games in the last two seasons, was named captain in August 2021 following the departure of Jack Grealish. McGinn was named vice-captain at the time, so it’s not a surprise to see him make the step up a year later.
But for Mings to lose the captaincy while being a regular in the first-team will hurt. The move will allow Mings to focus only on his role as a defender, however, so Steven Gerrard might be hoping this stops the England international’s lapses of concentration. Time will tell.
He wrote a statement on Twitter, saying how much he loved being captain at Villa while praising McGinn, so it doesn’t appear there’s any animosity between the two players over the decision.
In other news, could Aaron Ramsey be loaned out after Jaden Philogene-Bidace’s Cardiff City move?
