John McGinn has been linked with a move away from Aston Villa as he enters the final two years of his contract
Aston Villa captain John McGinn
In demand... Villa captain John McGinn(Image: Getty Images)
Everton reportedly hold an interest in Aston Villa captain John McGinn this summer.
The Villa captain is said to be a target for the Toffees as compatriot David Moyes continues a recruitment drive heading into a new era for the club.
McGinn, however, is not a player Villa would like to sell this summer, according to The Athletic.
Rightly so, too. While he started roughly 70 percent of Villa’s Premier League games last term, as a person and professional, McGinn is irreplaceable.
The Scot took the armband from Tyrone Mings before the start of the 2022/23 season - a controversial decision at the time - and remained skipper after Unai Emery replaced Steven Gerrard as Villa manager.
In total, he has made 285 appearances for the club in all competitions - 203 of which have come in the Premier League - the 10th most by any Villa player.
He has played an instrumental role in Villa’s ascent from the Championship to the Champions League and has lived the club's rise under V Sports since the summer of 2018.
Although he starts the majority of fixtures in a season, there’s a lot to be said for the fact he is usually one of the first names on the teamsheet for the biggest occasions.
He played from the off in nine of Villa’s 12 Champions League games last season, missing the fixtures against Bayern Munich and Monaco through injury.
After starting both of the round of 16 clashes against Club Brugge, McGinn was then Villa’s best player in both quarter-final legs against Paris Saint-Germain.
“John is an amazing person, as a player and as a professional,” Emery said of him last season. “But we are always speaking about how football is passing (by) so quickly and the level we want to get and keep is high.
“He is a very important player for us. His versatility and characteristics are very important.”
McGinn’s story at Villa is not yet done, however, with silverware a particular target for several players in the Villa dressing room.
The likes of McGinn, Tyrone Mings, Matty Cash and Ollie Watkins are all determined to mark their time at the club by ending its long wait for a trophy.
After setbacks and learning experiences in recent years under Emery, next season is the time for McGinn and Co to create a lasting legacy.
Villa reached the semi-final of the FA Cup last season and were knocked out by Olympiacos in the final four of European competition the season before that.
The Champions League ride was special, but now it is time to win and create history - something McGinn cannot be deprived of with a move elsewhere.
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