Manchester United’s links with John McGinn date back to this past summer. The Sun had reported in July that Sir Alex Ferguson wanted the Red Devils to sign the Scotsman, who had helped Aston Villa achieve promotion to the Premier League.
These links have come back in recent weeks and considering how well the midfielder has started the season, it is hardly a surprise.
The 25-year-old has played all 11 Premier League games for Dean Smith’s men, scoring three times and assisting twice. He has played as the right central midfield player in a 4-3-3 shape, as he goes about helping defensively and in an attacking sense.
He has, arguably, been Villa’s best player. McGinn has won the second-highest number of tackles per game for the club at an average of 2.7. He has also made the fifth-highest number of interceptions per game. He has completed the second-highest number of dribbles per game too – a sign of how he is a complete midfielder (via WhoScored).
His attacking abilities can also be testified by how he has played 2.9 shots per game – more than any other player at the club. He has played the third-highest number of key passes per game too, achieving an average of 1.4.
All these numbers present the picture of a player who is a grafter and works very hard on the pitch. Indeed, McGinn is the sort of player that Sir Alex would have loved, which is evident by the fact he recommended the Red Devils should sign him. He has that Scottish tenacity about him that made Sir Alex such a successful manager. That is probably why he recommended him to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
United let Ander Herrera leave for on a free transfer and failed to sign a midfielder to replace the Spaniard. While Scott McTominay has grown into his role, McGinn is a more complete player than his Scottish teammate.
A lack of creativity from midfield has been causing troubles for United, due to their inability to sign an attacking midfielder. Fred has assisted just one goal this season, whilst Nemanja Matic has been frozen out, with Andreas Pereira hardly doing much too.
Fred has won only 2.4 tackles per game – less than McGinn. He has also made less interceptions than the former Hibernian man. The Brazilian has played only 0.9 key passes, as compared to McGinn’s tally of 1.4. He has also made fewer dribbles per game than the Villa man (via WhoScored)
Solskjaer’s recruitment plans appear to show that he wants to sign players with a certain work ethic, which is, perhaps, why he signed the likes of Daniel James, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire. McGinn hails from the same category of players who have come from lesser clubs and have made it big in the Premier League, after all the graft.
He adds both attacking and defensive might. He has the workrate that United fans love in a player, as evident from how Scott McTominay has become a fans’ favourite. If the Red Devils do sign McGinn, there is every chance the Old Trafford faithful fall in love with the Scotsman in no time at all.