John McGinn has been speaking to The Telegraph about life at Aston Villa, and discussed what the Villans did in 2018 before he signed a contract.
What’s the story?
Well, it was Steve Bruce who signed McGinn, in what was arguably the biggest bargain in Aston Villa’s history.
Amazingly, the 42-cap Scotland international only cost £2m.
However, there was competition for his signature, so Aston Villa had to do something special to ensure McGinn arrived in the Midlands.
The Telegraph explain how Aston Villa switched on the Villa Park floodlights when McGinn came to visit, and also led him to his very own hospitality box where the No.7 shirt awaited him.
Speaking to The Telegraph, the 27-year-old said: “It never once even got to a stage where it was a 50-50 decision. Aston Villa treated me like I was going to be their best-ever signing. They never gave me any choice. They pushed the boat out to make me feel wanted.”
It sounds as if Bruce rolled out the red carpet for the dynamic midfield maestro, and it certainly did the trick.
127 appearances later, and McGinn is a bona fide cult hero at Villa Park.
The Aston Villa No.7 has scored 16 goals and has also registered 21 assists in that time, while it was McGinn who netted the winning goal in the 2019 Championship Play-Off final as well.
John McGinn should look at Jack Grealish if he ever thinks about leaving Aston Villa
In truth, with no disrespect to the Villans, a player like McGinn could easily play at a higher level – he’s a Champions League player, in our view.
However, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, as Jack Grealish is finding out.
The England international has gone from being a hero in the Midlands, loved by everyone associated with Aston Villa, to a mere cog in the juggernaut that is Manchester City.
Grealish is nothing but another option in attack for Pep Guardiola, rather than the talisman of Aston Villa.
It seems to have affected his performances as well, as the 26-year-old has scored just three goals in 20 appearances this season.
Hopefully, McGinn looks at what has happened to his ex-teammate, and thinks twice about scarifying hero status.
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