Dean Smith provides new Aston Villa contract update involving John McGinn
McGinn #McGinn
Dean Smith admits midfield enforcer John McGinn “might be knocking on the door” to get a new and improved Aston Villa contract.
The 26-year-old, who captained his country recently, is slowly getting back to his best after breaking his ankle and shin bone last season.
Over the summer Villa – under the guidance of the club’s owners – tied down Jack Grealish and Tyrone Mings on bumper new, long-term deals.
Club captain Grealish signed terms to become Villa’s highest-paid player on a reported £125,000-a-week, five-year contract. England teammate Mings signed a vastly-improved deal too up until the summer of 2024.
As far as McGinn’s concerned the £2.75 million Hibernian signing – tracked by Manchester United last year – last signed a new four-year deal in August 2019.
CLARET & BLUE: Just how much can Dean Smith achieve as Aston Villa boss?
SHARE
SHARE
TWEET
SHARE
Click to expand
UP NEXT
However with Villa’s key men Grealish and Mings being rewarded for their form, manager Smith believes McGinn could well be in line for an improved pay packet in the not too distant future.
“John’s got four years left on his contract anyway,” Smith said. “If he’s seen Tyrone Mings and Jack Grealish (getting tied down on new contracts) he might be knocking on the door but, again, that’s one for the sporting director (Johan Lange) to deal with.”
Smith added on his relationship with the all-action Villa ace: “I think everybody knows what I think of John McGinn both as a person and as a player. I love working with him.
“He was a massive part of our success getting to the Premier League. He started off last season really, really well and we were unfortunate that we were robbed of him after that injury. We’re glad he’s back to full fitness and showing everybody what he’s al about again.”
McGinn shattered his ankle against this weekend’s opponents Southampton last December while, prior to returning, sustained a hairline fracture on his shin before being scheduled to return for the Chelsea fixture in March which was subsequently cancelled as lockdown commenced.
“He was very low,” Smith explained. “He was due to be on the bench against Chelsea just before lockdown but that game got cancelled because we got locked down just before.
“He had another scan and it showed it hadn’t fully healed and there was a bit of a recurrence and all of that hard work he’d put in to get back up (to full speed) and he was back to the start again.”
McGinn, though, soldiered on to help Villa over the survival line throughout Project Restart last summer, and Smith said of McGinn’s heroics: “It’s remarkable how he played nine of the 10 last games of the season. He wasn’t at his normal level but he wasn’t expected to be but I knew what he could give us.
“He was very good against Liverpool away from home and I thought he was our best player down at West Ham in the last game. I think he’s showed now for Aston Villa and Scotland just how good a player he is.”
But what about sceptics questioning McGinn’s dip in form? “John knew himself he wasn’t 100 per cent,” Smith added. “I knew he wasn’t 100 per cent but we felt it was a risk worth taking. There was only one way to get him back to 100 per cent and that was by playing games.
“He managed to get back to 100 per cent and was involved with keeping us in the league. People will remember John McGinn before the injury and he wasn’t quite the same. We expected that. Fans might not have because we didn’t publicise (his injury).
“When he didn’t play as well as he can do he was fighting for his fitness. He’s a strong character in and around the place anyway. One of the strongest we’ve got.”