Firstly, John McGinn launched the press to force a mistake from a panicked rival before pouncing on the error to dart forward with the ball at his feet. There was a scything challenge from a defender, desperately seeking to avert danger, to vault over, before bursting into the penalty area where he showcased some fancy footwork to flummox an embarrassed goalkeeper.A close-range finish into a gaping net brought an end to eight seconds of mayhem for Aston Villa in a 4-1 victory over Charlton Athletic in their penultimate pre-season fixture and served to whet the appetite for what might follow.“What happened at the weekend will happen many more times in the Premier League,” says Andy Holden, a former Everton coach. “That goal is John in a nutshell. Not many midfielders do what he does.”Holden speaks from experience having worked with McGinn at Hibernian while a member of Alan Stubbs’s coaching staff and has championed the 24-year-old long before Villa’s return to the top flight was confirmed in May. Typically, it was McGinn who scored the decisive goal at Wembley in a 2-1 victory over Derby County.A year ago, the Scotland international was preparing to move from Hibernian to the Championship for what has proved, in this money-flushed era, a bargain Ł3 million fee, and another step up in a career set on fast-forward.McGinn can already count on the adoration of the Holte End, but boasts the potential to earn himself an army of new admirers next season as his all-action style and penchant for the spectacular gains wider attention. For rivals he is not so much one to watch, as one to stifle.“He is a throwback,” says Holden, who also spent more than a decade as a coach at Everton before two seasons in Edinburgh as McGinn helped Hibernian win the Scottish Cup for the first time in more than a century in 2016.“At Hibs, he would be the first one out to train and he’d ask, ‘What was Wayne Rooney like?’“I’d say, ‘Just like you, son.’ Wayne would be the first out with a bag of balls on his back and last in carrying a bag of balls as well.“They are different players, and you can’t compare what they have done, but in terms of loving football and having drive and focus they are very similar.“John trains like a demon, cares massively about what he does and he is a gem of a kid. In the dressing room, he will say something to gee-up his team-mates but what sets him apart is that he also has the ability to do things in a game that lead the way as well.“I’m sure a lot of people will see that over the coming months.”The education McGinn received in his homeland with St Mirren and then Hibs ensured he arrived at Villa with almost 200 appearances in senior football under his belt by the age of 23.If Steve Bruce did little to endear himself to the Villa fans during his tenure, then he can, at least, point to one of his last acts being to recruit the high-octane midfielder who will look to continue offering both industry and inspiration.Having also signed Andrew Robertson during his time in charge at Hull City, Bruce seems decidedly less sniffy about recruiting from Scotland than those who prefer to wait to see how exports fare south of the border.Like Robertson and Virgil van Dijk, McGinn is also attracting interest from the established elite.Manchester United have watched McGinn — Sir Alex Ferguson knows his grandfather, Jack, a former chairman of Celtic — but the likelihood remains that he signs a new long-term contract at Villa Park.If the new season goes as predicted for McGinn then Villa’s foresight will be rewarded.“He won’t have any fears about the Premier League. He will actually get more time to play, more time to get on the ball and influence matches; name the midfielders who do what he does.“People thought of him as a battering ram, but he’s much more than that. He’ll drive past you and if he sends a shot 30 yards over the crossbar, it won’t bother him because he will back himself to put it in the top corner next time.“We worked on his distances at Hibs because sometimes he would come too deep and get the ball off the centre halves and play the pass they could have played,” continued Holden.“But he quickly learnt and if I shouted ‘McGinn’ he would just raise his hand in acknowledgement and move forward to where he could influence the game better.“He’s at a massive club at Villa, but there’ll be plenty of clubs doing homework on John this season. He’s a special kid and a special player.”
I have a twitch followed by a lovely warm feelingThe more I see that goal against Charlton the more you realise he must be bloody tough to play against. He swarmed over the defenders like they were in quicksand and then the quickness of his feet to go past the keeper was sublime.I really do think he will surprise a few this year
Quote from: Hookeysmith on August 02, 2019, 12:25:51 PMI have a twitch followed by a lovely warm feelingThe more I see that goal against Charlton the more you realise he must be bloody tough to play against. He swarmed over the defenders like they were in quicksand and then the quickness of his feet to go past the keeper was sublime.I really do think he will surprise a few this yearI know what you mean, Hookey, but I think other teams will bear down hard on John and Jack ... which is great news for AEG and Trezeguet / Jota. I think Smith is going to set us up a bit like Liverpool over the last 2 seasons, where Firmino effectively played at the top of the diamond, and Sane and Salah wreaked havoc.I see our 2 wide players being very influential this season, with Wesley being the lynchpin in front of our 3 midfielders.. As long as we can retain possession and move the ball quickly, we'll be fine and great to watch.
From a Spuds forum :Worrying about John McGinn, I've seen it all now. Maybe someone could put this up by his peg in the changing room....
Jack and John go together like curry and rice.