John McGinn has spoken out about his recovery from injury and why Aston Villa have even more motivation to get back into the Champions League this season
Aston Villa's John McGinn
Aston Villa's John McGinn(Image: PA)
View Image
John McGinn insists that competing with clubs "who can spend whatever they like" at the top of the Premier League is a huge credit to Aston Villa.
It is well documented that Villa’s ambitious owners, Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, are unable to spend at the same level as other Champions League-chasing sides, as financial rules limit spending in line with revenue.
Under Unai Emery, Villa have made staggering progress and have booked their place in a European quarter-final for the third successive year. While winning a trophy remains one of their main aims, reducing the revenue gap to clubs such as Tottenham and Chelsea is also a key objective.
Alongside balancing European football with domestic commitments under Emery, Villa are targeting a return to the Champions League this season via their league position too.
They finished fourth in 2023/24 but narrowly missed out on a top five finish last term on goal difference - partly due to a poor refereeing decision by Thomas Bramall on the final day against Manchester United.
"We just missed out on goal difference last season for the Champions League with a bit of a dodgy decision at Old Trafford," McGinn recalled to the BBC.
"But we were so close and it hurt, so we are using the hurt from last season to drive us on.
"But what we're competing against are massive institutions, powerful clubs who can spend whatever they like.
"We are obviously a massive club in our own right, but for us to continuously compete at that level is a huge credit to all of us involved at the club."
McGinn returned from injury earlier in March, for Villa’s first leg of the Europa League round of 16 tie against Lille.
He then started in a defeat at United, before scoring against Lille in the second leg and then again to put Villa ahead against West Ham - the club’s last game before the international break.
The Villa skipper missed around two months of action due to a knee injury, suffered in the 1-0 home defeat to Everton back in January.
"I was scared," he admitted. "I remember right away feeling, oh this isn't right. It was 10, 15 minutes into the game, I blocked a pass against Everton and I knew right away, so my hand goes up and obviously I've known experienced players who have done serious knee injuries six months plus feeling able to walk off.
"I was petrified really, but then you get the scan and you wait and thankfully it was good news that it was only a minor knee injury.
"The knee obviously reacts in different ways to surgery, but it could have been a lot, lot worse. It was expected to be six to eight weeks. Managed to come back in six weeks."
McGinn thought he might be able to play on without undergoing surgery.
"I thought it was an important time for the club, an important time of the season, big games, but then, as the days went on, it started to swell more and there was more fluid in the knee," he recalls.
"So, as much as I like to think I could have braved on, it was clear quite soon that I needed the surgery. As you get older, of course, you need to look after your body. I'm 31 now, so to do anything crazy would be wild."
The latest Villa headlines sent straight to your phone
Join our Aston Villa WhatsApp group and get the latest breaking news, interviews and opinion sent straight to your phone, plus matchday team news and live updates of all the action. Just click on this link and select ‘Join Community’ to get started. The only proviso is that you must have WhatsApp on your phone to participate. It's a free service. No one will be able to see your personal information and you will only receive messages from our Villa writers.
We will not spam your WhatsApp feed with constant messages, but you will receive updates from us daily with the latest Villa news. If you later decide to opt out, just go to the name at the top of your screen and click 'Exit Group'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. Click here to read our Privacy Notice