Aston Villa fans 'sceptical' over £70k-a-week star at Villa Park

Aston Villa supporters will be ‘sceptical’ at captain John McGinn’s continued presence in Steven Gerrard’s starting XI after a poor start to the 2022-23 season, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The Villans moved three points clear of the Premier League relegation zone with a 1-0 win over Southampton on Friday night.

This summer saw the 27-year-old replace Tyrone Mings as Aston Villa captain, with Emi Martinez installed as vice skipper in the West Midlands.

However, McGinn’s performances have suffered since the decision with Gerrard noting that the midfielder has been ‘trying too hard’ but claims he expected just as much to happen.

The manager added that he had ‘no doubts’ McGinn would soon be back to his best and described his play out of possession as ‘outstanding’.

Following their victory over Southampton, the club captain said he was ‘delighted’ after he and his teammates ‘proved people wrong’.

However, he maintained that the squad are yet to ‘click’ and are failing to create enough chances going forward.

Jones believes that McGinn’s continued presence in the starting XI will cause some fans to become ‘sceptical’ amid his poor displays.

The journalist adds that he will need to start performing at a regular high level once again if he is to regain the trust of the Villa Park faithful.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT: “I think fans will be sceptical about whether McGinn is worthy of their regular starting XI at this point so he is going to need to show a consistently high level of drive and performance before they are wholly convinced about his role.”

The £70,000 per-week star may not be performing to his best but it appears unlikely he will be starting on the bench any time soon.

Summer signing Boubacar Kamara was forced off