John McGinn has backed Nicolas Jackson to become a major player for Aston Villa after the striker opened his account for the club.
Jackson scored Villa’s third goal in Tuesday’s 3-2 Champions League victory over Club Brugge, finding the net for the first time since his £47.5million summer move.
It was an important moment after a difficult introduction to life at Villa Park.
Jackson had been unable to score during Villa’s winless start to the Premier League season, but the striker finally broke through in Belgium.
McGinn clearly believes there is considerably more to come.
McGinn backs Nicolas Jackson to deliver for Aston Villa
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Nottingham Forest, McGinn discussed Jackson’s arrival in a fresh weekend feature published by The Guardian.
Villa’s captain admitted the pair had previously clashed when Jackson was at Chelsea, but described his new team-mate as a “brilliant guy”.
McGinn then addressed the pressure created by Jackson’s transfer fee.
“He’s going to be a huge player for us.”
The comments provide an interesting insight into how quickly Jackson has settled into Emery’s squad.
Villa pursued the Senegal international after Ollie Watkins’ departure and reunited him with Emery, who previously worked with the forward at Villarreal.
Jackson’s first Villa goal arrived after Pau Torres released him during an excellent first-half display in Bruges.
The striker subsequently insisted there was “more to come” after opening his Aston Villa account, while his appearances and statistics can be followed through his Aston Villa player profile.
There were already encouraging signs before Tuesday.
Our earlier look at Jackson’s slow start compared with Ollie Watkins showed that the striker was finding threatening positions even while Villa struggled collectively in front of goal.
Now he has the first one.
Nottingham Forest gives Jackson chance to build momentum
The next challenge is transferring that Champions League breakthrough into the Premier League.
Villa host Nottingham Forest on Saturday still searching for their first domestic goal of the campaign.
That puts Jackson firmly in focus.
The latest Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest team news outlines Emery’s current selection issues before the game, while Jackson is expected to remain central to the attack.
Emery needs his rebuilt forward line to begin producing after Villa drew a blank in each of their opening three league fixtures.
Replacing Watkins’ reliable goals was always going to be one of the biggest challenges created by Villa’s summer overhaul.
Jackson cannot solve that problem alone.
But after getting off the mark in Bruges and receiving such a strong endorsement from his captain, Saturday provides the perfect opportunity to begin proving McGinn right.
