Villa midfielder John McGinn will be too much for West Brom to handle when the two clubs meet at Villa Park on Saturday, according to BBC pundit Noel Whelan.
McGinn arrived from Hibernian last summer and has been one of Villa’s standout players this campaign. The Scotland international has been highly praised by Whelan and has been tipped to make a serious impact during the play-off semi-final Saturday afternoon.
“McGinn is a brilliant player and has everything you want in a Championship midfielder – tenacious, creative, scores goals, can pick a pass,” Whelan told Football Insider.
“Any team in the division would want him. I think West Brom will be smashed in midfield if McGinn plays like he has been.”
OPINION
John McGinn has been a revelation since arriving at Villa Park. The 24-year-old has been an influential member of a Villa side that has been on red-hot form of late, with 10 wins in a row at the tail-end of the season. He is certainly one of the best centre midfielders that the league has to offer. The fact Villa managed to secure his services for less than £3 million is mind-blowing – many players come down from Scotland and fail to make an impact but John McGinn has bucked that trend. West Brom have a strong midfield core themselves and McGinn will need to be at his best to ensure Aston Villa come out on top. McGinn, Hourihane and Grealish all compliment each other brilliantly well and Villa have a terrific balance that will be difficult to beat if they play like we know they can. Dean Smith will have a task on his hands to keep hold of McGinn if his side fail to win promotion – the midfielder will no doubt have admirers higher up the ladder after a terrific first season in English football.