Aston Villa goalscorer John McGinn compared to Van der Vaart after Spurs display
Aston Villa’s John McGinn has been compared to Rafael van der Vaart after an impressive performance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Scottish international continues to get better and better following his first-half goal against Spurs.
How good can John McGinn be? Five key things to know…
- McGinn joined Villa from Hibs in August 2018.
- The Scotsman played a key part in Villa’s return to the Premier League, winning their Player of the Year.
- The 24-year-old scored six goals in 41 Championship games as Villa won the play-offs.
- McGinn became the first Scottish player to score on his Premier League debut since Matt Phillips did so for Blackpool in 2010.
- The Villa midfielder was compared to Rafael van der Vaart by Jamie Redknapp.
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Villa faced a very difficult opening fixture as they returned to the Premier League for the first time since 2016.
Dean Smith’s side had to absorb a lot of early pressure from Tottenham before a wonderful break-away goal and finish by McGinn gave Villa the lead.
2010 – John McGinn is the first Scottish player to score on his @premierleague debut since Matt Phillips in September 2010 (for Blackpool vs Blackburn). Hero. #TOTAVL pic.twitter.com/P2v8SsieQs
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 10, 2019
A long ball forward saw Wesley overpower Sanchez and McGinn raced through, waited for Danny Rose to commit himself before sliding the ball into the bottom corner.
His performance clearly impressed Jamie Redknapp, who compared the midfielder’s display and finish to that of Rafael van der Vaart.
“John McGinn has been the most impressive player on the pitch – he’s the man.”
“The finish reminds me of you, Rafa (Rafael van der Vaart).”
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The Dutchman was equally impressed by McGinn’s run and finish.
“Yes, I used to sometimes wait for the defender to slide, great finish,” said the former Spurs man.
McGinn’s overall performance was exceptional despite losing to a rampant second-half effort from the hosts. He was full of energy and made more tackles (8) than any other player on the pitch.
The Scotsman will have a big part to play in Villa’s campaign and Dean Smith will be hoping this is a of things to come from the Glasgow-born midfielder.
