Agbonlahor excited by ‘great news’ at Aston Villa after new McGinn reveal
Gabby Agbonlahor has insisted the return of John McGinn against Brentford is “great news” for Aston Villa.
The former Claret and Blue hitman, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, claimed the 27-year-old’s “industrious” nature will be advantageous against a “hard-working” Brentford side.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference today (31 December) and quoted by Birmingham Live, Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard confirmed four players could be missing for the trip to west London on Sunday (2 January).
Tyrone Mings (suspended), Leon Bailey and Marvellous Nakamba (both injured) will definitely miss out, while Ashley Young has an “outside chance” of making the match.
McGinn missed out on Aston Villa’s 3-1 loss against Chelsea on Sunday.
Agbonlahor insisted the Scotland international’s return will be “massive” for Gerrard’s men.
“He’ll make a big difference, definitely,” he told Football Insider‘s Connor Whitley.
“You know what? When you play at the ferocity and speed that McGinn plays at, sometimes you will need a game off to rest up or get these niggles right.
“He puts so much into every game, it’ll be so hard to keep those levels up all season.
“To have him back will be massive. He was a big miss against Chelsea, so to have him back for the Brentford game is great news because they’re full of hard-working midfield players.
“Villa will need their industrious players on the pitch, and McGinn certainly stands out in that regard.”
Aston Villa head into the match occupying 12th place in the Premier League after 18 games.
Gerrard has tasted defeat just three times since taking over, with those losses coming against the league’s top three sides.
In other news, Watford have made an approach to sign a senior Aston Villa star.