Kenny Tips This Aston Villa Midfielder To Join Manchester United: Can Gerrard Afford To Lose Him?

In a recent interview with Football Insider, ex-Leeds United keeper Paddy Kenny tipped Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn to join Manchester United. Kenny said,

“I don’t see why McGinn wouldn’t do well at Man United.

“He’s a brilliant player and he has done so well for Aston Villa. He’s shown his quality.

“It would be interesting to see if this does happen. I can see him at United now. No disrespect to Villa but I would like to see McGinn play with better players.

“That would bring more out of him. Some fans might complain that it’s not a glamourous signing or something like that.

“If you look at some of the big players Man United have signed, it doesn’t always work out.

“McGinn is proven in the Premier League and on the international stage, there is no risk there.”

McGinn’s Decent Run Of Form In The English Top-Flight This Season

McGinn is having another impressive campaign with the West Midlands outfit as he has been responsible for performing at a high level at the centre of Steven Gerrard’s midfield. The Scotland international has been involved in 15 matches for the Villans this season, netting three goals and grabbing two assists across various competitions.

The Glasgow-born talent has proven himself to be a valuable contributor for Aston Villa by averaging 2.7 tackles, 0.9 interceptions, 0.7 clearances, 1.3 shots, 1.4 key passes and 1.3 dribbles per game in the Premier League. McGinn has also been careful when interchanging possession with his teammates from midfield after making 77.4% of his attempted passes in the English first division (stats via whoscored).

Can Aston Villa Boss Steven Gerrard Afford To Lose McGinn?

McGinn is a hard-working midfielder who can make some intelligent dashes with the ball towards the opposition penalty area. He doesn’t shy away from having a strike at goal from long range and has got the vision to cut open the opponent’s defence with a killer pass in the attacking end of the pitch.

The Scottish talent can even get stuck in with a few crunching tackles to earn possession back for his team. He is a tidy passer of the ball as well that makes him such a great first-team player for Gerrard to rely on at Villa Park.

Therefore, the Villans simply cannot afford to lose their talismanic midfielder in January or at the end of this campaign. McGinn’s current contract with the West Midlands giants expires in the summer of 2025, so there is no immediate pressure for Gerrard to cash in on him in the near future.