SCOTTISH talisman John McGinn believes he is going into the vital Euro 2024 qualifier here in Seville tonight in the best form of his entire career – thanks to the influence of Spanish coach Unai Emery.
Aston Villa midfielder McGinn has become a hero of the Tartan Army in the past four years thanks to his heroics up front for his country – he is now the national team’s seventh top scorer of all-time with 17 goals in 58 appearances.
However, the former St Mirren and Hibernian midfielder feels that he is a far more complete footballer now thanks to working with Europa League specialist Emery during the past 11 months.
It will be ironic if the Villa captain, who is convinced he has improved every department of his game under the former Valencia and Sevilla manager, is the man who secures the result against Spain this evening which books his country’s place in Germany next summer.
“I feel I’m in good form, probably the best of my career,” he said. “I’m enjoying it. I’m close to 29 and I’m absolutely devastated by that! When the number three gets associated with you in football, you are one year away from being finished!
“Next week I’m 29, but I’m learning all the time. I am very fortunate to not only learn off brilliant staff but team-mates as well, looking at how the French and Spanish boys operate. I am learning off them all the time.
“It’s bringing me on and I still think I have more to offer and if I can bring that to Scotland then it will be beneficial to both myself and the team.”
McGinn added: “The manager has taken my game to another level. I can’t thank him enough for what he’s given me. I can’t thank him enough for the help he’s given me on a daily basis. It’s a different style of play, taking more touches on the ball, seeing the game differently.
“It’s a lot of hard work, it’s intense, but I’m so, so fortunate to have come into his path. He’s teaching me things I didn’t think I was capable of.”
Meanwhile, McGinn has attributed Scott McTominay’s incredible run of goalscoring form during the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign to Steve Clarke – and joked that Manchester United manager Erik Ten Haag has got the best out of the midfielder by copying his Scotland counterpart.
McTominay, who netted a double in the 2-0 triumph over Spain at Hampden in March, has been on target on no fewer than six occasions in Group A and is currently ahead of the likes of Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo in the scoring charts.
The 26-year-old has hardly featured at United during the 2023/24 campaign – but he came off the bench in a Premier League match at Old Trafford on Saturday and netted an injury-time double to clinch a dramatic 2-1 triumph over Brentford.
“We have to give the gaffer credit for that,” said McGinn. “A few years ago I was only really a deep lying midfielder, sometimes playing higher up. Steve Clarke came in here and pushed me higher up. He obviously noticed something in my game that he felt could help the team.
“And he has echoed that with Scotty, he has pushed him higher up. The credit I will give the gaffer. Villa have copied that with me. Ten Haag has copied him as well.
“He has been brilliant for us, big Scotty, he is so athletic and he gets in the box and hits the ball harder than anyone I have ever played with so it’s no surprise he is getting goals. As long as he slows down just a wee bit! No, he is doing brilliant, I am delighted for him.”
Despite his concern about reaching 29, McGinn is confident he can play on at the highest level for club and country for many years to come and confessed that he would like to be involved in the Euro 2028 finals in Scotland.
“I’ve got one eye on us hosting the Euros, though the focus right now is qualifying for two in a row,” he said. “I know we had the taste for it last time, but I’m sure everyone will agree it wasn’t the same. That’s not an excuse for us being rubbish, but a full Hampden next time would make a huge difference.
“If my body allows it, I’d love to be there and it’d be great to make the next World Cup as well. I think we’re capable. When we qualified for the last Euros, our goal was to make it easier to qualify in the future, even after this squad has evolved and moved on. My aim is to be playing in my old age - the same as big Christian Dailly was!
“I remember watching big Davie Weir he seemed like the kind of guy who was learning about the game as he was playing. And when he got to the latter stages of his career he wasn’t the quickest or the sharpest, but he still had it upstairs and he was a step in front of everyone he played against. People like that are inspirational and hopefully I can be the same.”
