'The talent has always been there, he's massively underrated': Insiders reveal how John McGinn went from 'miles off it' to Unai Emery's 'star pupil' with the help of a new diet - and why his Aston Villa team-mates adore 'silent leader'

‘Miles off it’. That was the verdict reached by two of Aston Villa’s most prominent figures this century when they first came to know John McGinn.

Whereas former Villa captain Jack Grealish was referring to his one-time team-mate’s sense of humour rather than his football, Unai Emery knew McGinn had some way to go on the pitch to reach the levels he would demand.

Who knows what Grealish, who left Villa five years ago, would think of McGinn’s dressing-room repartee these days. Emery’s opinion is, however, there for all to see.

If Villa overcome Freiburg in the Europa League final on Wednesday, McGinn will be their first captain to lift a major trophy since Andy Townsend, who led Villa’s 1996 League Cup-winning side. McGinn would also emulate Dennis Mortimer, skipper as Villa won the European Cup in 1982. Not bad for a player who was not even included in Emery’s first Villa XI, against Manchester United in November 2022.

‘He is very intelligent,’ says Emery. ‘Adapting to play at the highest level was an effort for him, and he succeeded by changing his style in everything – his lifestyle, his approach to training and matches.

‘During the early part of his Villa career, the team were not at the level we are now. We needed to increase our demands and our standards and he has done it.

'Now our objective is to be protagonists in the Champions League but to keep this level we need responsible, mature players who are fighters and hard workers. John McGinn has changed completely to adapt to this new way for him.’

McGinn has always been respected by his opponents. Soon after Villa had returned to the Premier League seven years ago, Manchester United – where his fellow Scot Sir Alex Ferguson remained influential – were said to have expressed an interest.

So too Liverpool, with Jurgen Klopp known to be a fan. Newcastle and Everton tried to sign McGinn last summer and after the first leg of the Europa League semi-final, Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira told McGinn in the tunnel at the City Ground that he had spent hours trying to figure out how to stop him.

Yet when Emery arrived, there were plenty who believed McGinn would struggle to last the course under an elite coach with exacting requirements. This is how he proved them wrong.

McGinn has never forgotten those doubters. He is praised universally these days but still he can recall being dropped by caretaker boss Aaron Danks in the gap between the Steven Gerrard and Emery regimes in autumn 2022.

But back then, did McGinn himself believe he would make it this far? He recently namechecked former Villa boss Dean Smith for convincing him he could play in the Premier League.

‘I always felt the talent was there,’ Smith, who was in charge when Villa won promotion in 2019, tells Daily Mail Sport. ‘He is underrated. He has an awkward running action that can obscure how talented he is. He can hold on to the ball, he has a great shimmy that can take him past a man, he can pass short and long.

‘He can play as a No 6, a No 8 or off the side. He is a funny guy and doesn’t take himself too seriously. If he’s ever lacked confidence, you wouldn’t know it. I love him to bits. When we went to Minnesota for pre-season in 2019, he was talking about a new deal with the club and I was pushing for it. John was aware I was backing him for that contract. He knew his value.’

When McGinn turned 27 in October 2021, he arrived at Villa’s Bodymoor Heath training ground with a selection of cakes. Whether McGinn himself ate one or not, it is hard to imagine him doing so under Emery – or even bringing them in the first place.

Put simply, Emery thought McGinn needed to be careful what he ate. ‘You’re not 21 anymore’ was the basic message. Not only did McGinn do as he was told, he also wowed Emery instantly with his tactical awareness.

Emery’s methods are exhausting and complicated, but McGinn is a star pupil. Along with Morgan Rogers, Emery regards McGinn as Villa’s most tactically intelligent player. He has operated on the left, the right, as a No 10 or as part of a central pair. When Emery urged him to find more attacking positions around the turn of the year, McGinn duly scored twice in a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest on January 3.

Don’t be fooled by the cheerful demeanour, either. In response to Emery’s remarks about his lifestyle, McGinn hired a personal chef he still employs today. He goes for long runs and does gym work throughout the off-season.

The day after Villa lost 1-0 to Forest in the first leg of the Europa semi-final, McGinn was so angry that he conducted his own review of the game the following day. He emerged convinced Villa would reach the final – and promptly scored twice as they blew Forest away 4-0 at Villa Park.

McGinn and other Villa stars compare playing for Emery to being an elite chess player. The analysis is so deep that at the start of any game, they have their opening gambits off by heart. Freiburg coach Julian Schuster has his work cut out to avoid checkmate.

Villa fans did not enjoy Gerrard’s year in charge but the former England captain deserves credit for making McGinn his captain in summer 2022, taking the armband from Tyrone Mings. At first it seemed a strange call. Smith always believed that captaincy made Mings a better player whereas McGinn’s performances would be unaffected either way. Then Mings is naturally a more forceful personality than McGinn.

Were the Villa squad sent into the jungle for three days and told to survive as best they could, Mings would inevitably take the lead. In the very early days of his captaincy, it is thought McGinn would even feel awkward about delivering the traditional ‘rallying cry’. He has no such qualms now, especially since he was also made Scotland’s captain in the same summer.

‘He is probably one of the best midfielders in the Premier League,’ argues Villa right back Matty Cash. ‘He is like a silent leader on the pitch. He is not massively vocal but he gives us so much energy. Then he is very good around the training ground, with the club and the players.

'He is a fantastic captain and nobody deserves it more. He is the longest-serving player here along with Ty (Mings) and a trophy would top it for him.’

As Cash hints, McGinn helps hold the club together. The down-to-earth demeanour has not been altered by wealth, nor his self-deprecating wit dulled by success. The phrase is used too often about public figures but with McGinn it is true – he really is just a normal bloke.

Come rain or shine, win, lose or draw, McGinn will try to sign every autograph and pose for every picture with supporters. He is as comfortable with supporters as he is when joining executives on stage at a commercial event.

On one pre-season trip abroad, an evening out was organised and club staff were uncertain whether they could join the squad. When he found out, McGinn instantly told them they could. If they win on Wednesday, he will be the life and soul of the party.

Under Emery, McGinn has created more chances (167) and won more duels (716) than any other Villa player. He also ranks second for dribbles completed (163) and passes into the box (507). Only Ezri Konsa (623) has won possession more times than McGinn, who has managed it 594 times.

These Opta statistics tell the story of an all-round midfielder and explain why McGinn has been wanted by so many other clubs. Ferguson had noted that Villa paid Hibernian only £2million for McGinn in 2018 and wondered how a top Scottish talent had travelled under United’s radar. Had McGinn not suffered a broken leg in December 2019, he may now be at Old Trafford.

There could have been a move to Anfield, too. Klopp loved what he saw from McGinn, who he believed could inherit the role played by Jordan Henderson both on and off the pitch.

Last summer, it might have made financial sense to sell McGinn, who was 30, to Newcastle and give a new contract to Jacob Ramsey, who is seven years younger. That was never going to happen under Emery, who had always liked Ramsey but knew he was no McGinn.

Sure enough, Ramsey left for about £40million and McGinn was handed a new three-year deal last November, which will take him past his 34th birthday. McGinn had an offer on the table from Everton, too, but David Moyes did not really stand a chance of landing his man.

‘John is a great person,’ reflects former Villa chief executive Christian Purslow. ‘He has a wonderful family and is a really decent, humble man. He is almost a throwback to an era where footballers’ lives were not so different from fans.

'When he is not in the team, they miss his character, drive and leadership. One day there will be a statue if he can lift the trophy in Istanbul.'

Never mind ‘miles off it’. Where McGinn is concerned, most players struggle just to keep up. One more win and immortality awaits.