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Cascarino says 29-year-old was playing badly before Aston Villa appointed Emery
Tony Cascarino has lauded the transformation John McGinn has had under Unai Emery, claiming that the Aston Villa midfielder was playing really badly when the Spaniard was appointed.
Cascarino was speaking to after the Villans moved themselves to within two points of the Premier League summit with a 4-1 win over West Ham on Sunday.
Aston Villa were sensational at times during the victory over a very decent Hammers side. And there were brilliant performances all over the pitch, including from John McGinn.
The 29-year-old has been an absolutely sensational signing for the Villans. Certainly, few deals will prove to be better value for money than the move to sign McGinn from Hibernian.
Tony Cascarino lauds John McGinn
He played a key role in guiding the club to promotion. And he has continued to raise his game in the years since. However, Tony Cascarino believes that Unai Emery deserves enormous credit for McGinn’s recent form.
He lauded the impact the Villa boss has had on the Scotland international.
“I really like what Unai Emery has done in midfield. John McGinn was playing very badly when Emery took over a year ago, now he is a linchpin of the side,” he told . “Douglas Luiz alongside him is superb. And they have real pace up front. Moussa Diaby, who was a great signing in the summer, is very quick and Ollie Watkins will run all day for you.”
Aston Villa yet to find where their ceiling could be
It is going to be fascinating to see where Emery can take this Villa side. It is remarkable to think of the position he found the team in when he took over. They appeared to be on the periphery of a relegation battle when Steven Gerrard was sacked.
With 12 months, Villa are within touching distance of top spot in the Premier League. And they have already secured some amazing results.
It may be asking too much to expect Villa to remain so high in the league as the campaign continues. But they are most definitely a team on the rise at a rapid rate. And they have so much depth across the pitch.
Certainly, McGinn is not the only player within the squad who looks to be almost transformed by the impact Emery has had since being appointed last year.