According to The Sun, Manchester United’s legendary former manager, Sir Alex Ferguson is urging current boss Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer to sign John McGinn. He is good friends with the Aston Villa midfielder’s grandad, but the Villans have already slapped a hefty £50 million price tag. However, Fergie’s approval could be enough to convince the United hierarchy to make a big-money move for the Scottish sensation as the club prepares for life without Paul Pogba.
McGinn’s success at Aston Villa
A product of the St. Mirren youth academy, McGinn initially moved to Aston Villa last summer. He joined the English outfit from Hibernian, for a fee of £2.7 million. And the Scot quickly made an impact at the Villa Park, featuring in 40 league matches in his debut season at the club.
McGinn’s consistent performances in midfield were instrumental to Aston Villa’s promotion back to the Premier League. He built a formidable combination with Conor Hourihane in the middle third of the pitch, ending the campaign as one of Championship’s best midfielders.
Essentially, McGinn is expected to play a key role for the newly-promoted Premier League outfit in this new season. But, a move away from Aston Villa could be on the horizon should Man United shift their attention towards the 24-year-old.
What can he offer to the table?
A central midfielder by trade, McGinn can offer mobility and dynamism in midfield. He has the tenacity to win back possession for his team, with the Scot attempting a whopping 5.5 tackles per game last season with a tremendous success rate of 72%.
But, what makes McGinn such a sought-after midfielder is his nifty footwork and the fact that he can formulate scoring opportunities in the final third. The 24-year-old registered ten assists in the Championship last season while averaging 1.7 key passes per game. Besides, his tally of almost two dribbles per game is indicative of his willingness to take on defenders.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored
Should Man United splash the cash on McGinn?
Investing £50 million on McGinn could turn out to be a massive gamble from Manchester United’s part. The Aston Villa midfielder is yet to make a single appearance in the Premier League. And although he is not excessively young, his lack of experience in the English top-flight lays doubts as to whether or not he will able to succeed at Old Trafford.
And this is a sort of risk the Solskjaer cannot afford to take at the moment. The Norwegian will first need to address his defensive problems, with Harry Maguire being a prime target. Besides, he will also need to buy a proven attacker, should Romelu Lukaku leaves the club this summer. Hence, McGinn is not the most viable option for the Red Devils.
