BT Sport pundit Michael Stewart has tipped Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn to either reach the Premier League with the club or be purchased by a top flight side in 2019 after Chris Sutton was left raving over his goal versus Sheffield Wednesday.
The 23-year-old Scottish international caught the eye of the footballing world with a sumptuous volley from outside the area in front of the Villa fans on Saturday, although it was not enough to spare Steve Bruce’s men from a 2-1 defeat to the Owls.
Speaking about the former Hibernian man, Sutton made the sensational claim it will be the best goal scored for the 100 years of the 21st century, while his fellow pundits were impressed with his performances for the Villans.
Talking on BT Sports’ coverage of the Scottish League Cup, Sutton said: “John McGinn. Goal of the century! That will not be bettered.
Stephen Craigan chipped in with: “His reputation is building, his value is going up tenfold. We all believed that John McGinn would go to the Championship and star.
“His physical attributes suit the Championship, the high intensity game, the drive he brings.”
Meanwhile, Stewart was left tipping the Scot for a switch to the English top flight in the next 12 months, whether that be with Villa or another side.
“He’ll be in the Premier League next year, either with Villa going up or somebody will buy him,” he told BT Sport.
"John McGinn. Goal of the century!"
"It will never be bettered!"@chris_sutton73 has spoken ?https://t.co/kEanXj82Ln
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) September 25, 2018
Opinion
It is fair to say that McGinn really captured the hearts of Sutton and his fellow pundits over the weekend, but the best goal of the 21st century? That is quite a statement from the former England striker – although he is not one to sit on the fence, is he? His performances in Villa’s colours have been really impressive since heading south of the border and as said, he seems to have fitted perfectly into the ebb and flow of the Championship. If he can keep up his top quality displays then tipping him for a move to the Premier League is not a bad prediction, especially if he can show the same sort of talent on the international stage with Scotland. Villa will be hoping he sticks to his contract, which was only penned a couple of months ago, but if they cannot get themselves back to the top flight then they could well be losing him relatively shortly into his time at Villa Park.