Hollywood superstar and self-proclaimed Aston Villa fan Tom Hanks has finally made the journey to Villa Park - and Scotland star John McGinn was on hand to greet the movie legend.
The Birmingham-based club are set to take on Arsenal on Saturday lunchtime with the American jetting in. Hanks, 66, shocked the footballing world in 2008 after declaring his love for the Villains ahead of the premiere of Charlie Wilson's War, which was held in London. A 15-year spell without visiting the famous relic has passed, although that has changed for the visit of title challengers Arsenal.
And, with McGinn set to start on the right-hand side of midfield, the Scotland midfielder and Hanks posed for a photo in the dressing room beforehand in a wild turn of events. Hanks, famous for his roles in Big, Forrest Gump, Toy Story and more, attended a Villa game when they played Portland Timbers in 2012, though that was only a short plane journey from his home in Los Angeles - at least in comparison to the trip to the English Midlands.
But, in an interview with Channel 5 back in 2013, Hanks continued to declare his love for the club by admitting he watches as many games as he can on television. He said: "Well I've seen one Aston Villa match, it was a friendly in the United States. I try to keep up. I have a very good friend that lives and dies by Aston Villa, he's in Los Angeles as well, so I'm always getting my updates from him.
“Because I can never figure out what channel the football match is on on my grid at home - 583, 643, 801? I can never quite find it. Every time I'm looking at the football matches on the soccer channels, as we call it, it's always West Ham playing Man United, Tottenham v Queens Park Rangers. Bring me Villa, bring me Villa! Doesn't it sound like a lovely place, Aston Villa? I had a lovely massage at Aston Villa…”
McGinn, meanwhile, will look to drag his side up the table and closer to a European spot with a win. They could go within just four points of seventh-place if they can grab all three points against former Rangers player Mikel Arteta's men.
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