John McGinn has spoken of his immense pride at being named Aston Villa captain and set out his ambitions as skipper both on and off the pitch.
The Scotland international midfielder was last week named Villa captain by head coach Steven Gerrard ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.
Gerrard praised McGinn and cited his performances on the pitch, attitude and application in training, popularity among the group and high standards as just some of the reasons he was ready to be handed the armband.
And the 27-year-old, who joined the club in 2018, is honoured to have been given the opportunity.
“It was an incredibly proud moment,” he told VillaTV.
“Massive day for me and my family to be given such a privileged position at such a huge club.
“And to be given it by one of the most iconic captains the Premier League has ever witnessed.
“So, obviously, a day I’ll remember forever and a position I won’t take for granted. Hopefully I’ll do my best in the role.”
When asked if he had given thought to what he wanted to achieve as captain, McGinn replied: “I want to break that into three segments; I want to be a successful captain on the pitch, I want to represent a team that’s competing in the top half of the table and enjoying long, successful runs in the cup competitions.
“Secondly, I want to continue being a good person. I feel as though I have been a good person around the place already, but just being there to help others, whether that’s players or staff and just lead by example on a daily basis by even doing the simplest of things well. I want to help inspire others by just being a good person.
“Thirdly, I want to be a captain who represents the fanbase. I feel as if I’ve always had a good relationship with the supporters, I feel as if I’ve always had time with the fans, but a lot of that has been done away from the cameras.
“I understand in this role, in this position, I’m going to have to engage a lot more with the different fan groups who spend a lot of time supporting us, so it’s my responsibility now to do as best I can to support them and give them the best opportunity to support Villa in their own way. I’m looking forward to doing that.”
Villa kickstart their Premier League campaign against AFC Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium on Saturday.
McGinn knows it will be a tough test against the top-flight newcomers and insists Villa can learn the lessons from last season’s opener at Watford, in which they found themselves 3-0 down before eventually falling to a 3-2 defeat.
“It’s a tough start, it’s never easy playing the newly-promoted teams, we need to be right at it,” he said.
“Last season was a hugely disappointing start in similar circumstances against Watford, so we need to start on the front foot.
“We’re going there for three points; we want to achieve great things this season and we’ll really take it on a game-by-game basis.
“Saturday is a tough game but it’s one we’re looking to take three points, we’re all excited for it.”
