It’s fair to say that things have been changing pretty quickly at Aston Villa this summer.
There have been club-record signings and, of course, a club-record departure, and while transfers have made the most headlines, one interesting sub-plot surrounds one of their longest-serving players.
Indeed, John McGinn’s future at Villa is seemingly secure, but according to the Birmingham Mail, he was being set up to play in a much deeper role this season, but after a tumultuous summer at Villa Park, that plan may have to be ditched.
Playing McGinn as a number 6 seemed like a strange idea to begin with, it’s a move that certainly had the fanbase baffled, but after the departure of Jack Grealish and the arrival of Danny Ings, it’s even harder to justify the switch.
McGinn’s creativity and dribbling ability will be needed to make up for the void left behind by Grealish, and if he’s played as a defensive midfielder, those aspects of his game will be limited.
The Daily Mail report that Villa plan on using a 3-5-2 or even a 4-4-2 to get the best out of both Ings and Ollie Watkins, and in those systems, McGinn playing a deeper role would lead to a lack of creativity in the middle of the park – especially when you consider the fact that the likes of Douglas Luiz, Marvellous Nakamba and Morgan Sanson aren’t exactly flair players either.
Villa’s plan to move McGinn deeper may have to be put on hold this season, especially if the rumoured formation switch comes to fruition.
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