****Unai Emery****has spoken about the agreement of a new contract for John McGinn.
The midfielder has made 300 appearances for Aston Villa since he joined the club from **Hibernian**in 2018. He helped the side seal promotion from the **Championship**in 2019, secure topflight status in 2020, and enjoy three consecutive campaigns of continental football under their current head coach.
Steven Gerrard gave him the role of captain in place of **Tyrone Mings**in 2022, and Emery has been impressed with the dedication of the Scotsman to the club. Just in the last few months, McGinn has deputized as a right midfielder to make up for the poor form of Leon Bailey, acted as a number ten, and dropped into the double pivot to replace the injured Amadou Onana and Boubacar Kamara.
He has committed to staying in the Midlands until 2028, which would mark a decade at the club, and the 31-year-old is one of the core pillars of the structure that Emery wished to sustain over the summer. With the renewals of terms from Matty Cash, Tyrone Mings, Lucas Digne, and Kamara also in the bag, the Basque believes that he has the leaders in place to push the team forwards.
“Three years we are together, and in those three years he showed us and he showed me how he is leading the team in all the moments.
“The most important thing is how he responds on the field. He has responded very well. He is a very versatile player, helping us as a midfielder, as a winger, as a number ten. His commitment with Aston Villa is huge, before I arrived here and the three years we are doing together. He showed me it.
“What is John McGinn expecting from himself and Aston Villa in the next few years? He’s going to be an important player for us and for the supporters.”