John McGinn feels he’s back to his best after helping Aston Villa make a perfect start to the Premier League season.
During last season’s extended campaign, the midfielder spent six months recovering from a serious ankle injury before returning for the final ten games as the club narrowly avoided relegation.
McGinn has recorded four assists and a goal so far this season as Villa have notched four straight wins in the league, and the Scot is happy to be enjoying his football once again.
“I knew post-lockdown that criticism would come. I wasn’t going out there to play for myself, I was going out there to try and help Villa stay in the league,” he said.
“The manager knew that, I knew that and everyone around me knew that I wasn’t going to be anywhere near the player I know I can be.
“The main thing at the time was not for me, it was if I could bring 60-70% of what I can be and maybe pop up with a goal or assist.
“I spent the summer trying to become pain-free because for a long, long time I was in pain. It’s great to be running around without pain, and I’m loving the fact that I’m back to 100%.”
McGinn’s flying start to the season continued in the last international break when he helped Scotland take a step closer to European Championship qualification as well as captaining his country for the first time.
Despite winning all seven games he’s featured in domestically and internationally this term, the 26-year-old knows he and Villa must stay grounded.
“The humility needs to stay, and we can’t get ahead of ourselves. We’ve got 12 points now and 28 more points will get us safe, and then we can move on from there," he said.
“In the first season we probably tried to look a bit too far ahead too soon. It’s an exciting time to be a part of Aston Villa and hopefully that can continue.”
Leeds United visit Villa Park on Friday night as McGinn and co look to make it five wins from five, but they know victory will not come easy against the top-flight newbies.
He said: “I think I speak for most Premier League teams when I say that Leeds is one of the most difficult fixtures on the calendar.
“You need a couple of days off after you’ve played them, but hopefully they’ll be tired from their game against Wolves.
“Villa Park is somewhere we want to make a fortress, and we’ve done that so far this season. Hopefully we can carry that on this Friday.”
