Exclusive: John McGinn thought he was 'done' at Aston Villa before revival under 'brilliant' Unai Emery

John McGinn admits he thought he was “done” at Aston Villa and had even started looking for other clubs before becoming a mainstay of Unai Emery’s high-flying team.

McGinn was out of form and then out of the starting XI as Villa struggled under previous manager Steven Gerrard at the start of the 2022/23 season.

Emery’s arrival not only transformed Villa, but also lifted McGinn to new heights.

The Scotland international has been hugely influential under Emery as Villa - who host Newcastle on Tuesday night, live on TNT Sports - have battled at the top of the Premier League table this season.

Looking back on when Emery first joined in October 2022, McGinn told TNT Sports that he wasn’t sure about his future at the club.

“I thought I was done," he said. "You kind of have a feel as a player, at the time the supporters thought I was honking, I had just come out of the team and the team was doing well for a couple of games.

“You’re not stupid as a footballer, you think ‘right, you might start having to look elsewhere’, which I did.

“I spoke to the manager and he had every stat, every detail of appearances I played for St Mirren, Hibs, and then he asked ‘what is your preferred position’, and I said ‘just not on the bench like the last few games’. And he looked and I thought what he is going to say, then he started circling positions and I said ‘yeah I’d play there, I’d play there’.

“I think he was getting a gauge on why I hadn’t been playing so well. He brought up the Scotland goals and said ‘why are you scoring like this for Scotland and not for Aston Villa?’ Maybe thank you to [Scotland manager] Steve Clarke for putting me higher up the pitch.

“I said I play here for Scotland, maybe right 10 or on the right wing, which I hadn’t done before. Steve Clarke put me in there, showed a bit of faith and I started getting some goals. He said tomorrow - this was before we played Manchester United - you might play, you might not, so I thought I might get a chance here.

“After that I was like ‘he’s brilliant’. You could tell. Next game I was on the bench, but I came on and then the next game I started and ever since then I’ve played the majority of games which has been good.”

McGinn has played in every Premier League game this season as Villa have launched a surprise title bid.

They are currently fourth in the table, level on 43 points with Manchester City and Arsenal, all five points behind leaders Liverpool.

Villa play Newcastle on Tuesday evening, live on TNT Sports, and will be looking to return to winning ways after back-to-back draws in their last two games.

McGinn, who signed a new long-term deal last summer, will hoping his connection with striker Ollie Watkins again bears fruit.

“He knows as soon as I get the ball he’s on his bike," said McGinn on Watkins.

“I am not afraid to lose it, if I can get Ollie in one v one. I have managed to put him in a few times.”

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Aston Villa v Newcastle will be live on TNT Sports 1 and ultimate with coverage from 19:30 on Tuesday, January 30 ahead of kick-off at 20:15.

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