Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn: I can keep on getting better

The midfield ace hit the century mark with last Friday’s Premier League match Newcastle but later admitted the disappointing 1-1 draw was unlikely to live long in the memory.

McGinn, who joined Villa in a £2.5million move from Hibernian in 2018, ranks among the club’s best signings in recent history, playing a key role in their journey from the bottom half of the Championship to the top half of the Premier League.

But the 26-year-old, yesterday named in Scotland’s squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers, is aware of the need to keep developing his game as Villa look to establish themselves as serious top-flight contenders.

He told Go Radio: “I didn’t realise I was getting close to the (100 appearance) milestone. Friday night was a chance to step back and see how far I have come. I am always trying to build on that. I have always had a goal of trying to improve.

“Going forward I feel I still have a lot of improvement in me. Friday night was not one of the ones I will remember for the rest of my life. But if you had told me a few years ago I would have played 100 games for Aston Villa, I would have laughed at you.”

Villa host Tottenham on Sunday looking to kick-start their push for Europe after a run of just one win from their last six Premier League matches. While eager to get back on track, McGinn agrees with boss Dean Smith it is not only Villa who are currently struggling for rhythm.

He added: “I think at the moment the league has gone a bit stale. I watch a lot of the games from both sides of the border and I think everyone is missing the fans. Hopefully over the next few months we will see the fans in the ground.”