John McGinn hungry for more Aston Villa glory with Unai Emery

John McGinn says Unai Emery remains as enthusiastic about Aston Villa as he was in his first week in charge, and hopes the Spaniard stays for at least another four years as he prepares to celebrate his anniversary at the club this weekend.

Since taking over in 2022, Emery has transformed Villa’s fortunes, establishing them among the leading sides in the Premier League and Europe. They have amassed the fourth-most points in the division under his management, qualified for European competition in each of his full seasons in charge, reached the Champions League quarter-finals and won the Europa League last season, before now competing in UEFA’s elite club competition again this term.

Emery has already cemented his status as a Villa legend and one of the greatest managers in the club’s 152-year history. For captain McGinn, the Spaniard’s influence is something he never takes for granted.

“It’s been four years of long meetings! I have loved every minute of it,” he said. “It has been a long time, but he has the same hunger and desire that I saw in his first weeks at Aston Villa, so we are very lucky to have him, hopefully for at least another four years.

“We are very lucky to have him. He has made our team compete consistently with the best in the country. He is right up there, but he does not listen to that noise.

“He keeps wanting more and keeps wanting the best for us and for Aston Villa. Long may that continue, until someone comes to try and nab him off us.”

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Emery is ushering in a new era at Villa this season following the departures of several key players in the summer after their Europa League triumph, which ended the club’s 30-year wait for silverware.

More than half of the starting XI that faced Freiburg in the final left, including Emi Martinez, Ezri Konsa, Lucas Digne, Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins. Villa responded by making a conscious effort to recruit younger talent, with Nicolas Jackson, Joao Gomes, Zion Suzuki, Ibrahim Mbaye, Johan Manzambi and Alejandro Garnacho all under the age of 25.

“The younger generation seem to grow up fast. You forget that Manzambi just turned 21, Brian (Madjo) is also really young and Mbaye is 18,” McGinn said. “They have a lot of experience at a young age, but it’s about trying to keep them going and keep pushing, being demanding too.

“The manager is demanding himself. It is slightly more challenging at times [to control the dressing room], but it’s good to have Tyrone (Mings) and Leon Goretzka fit, what a leader he is, and big Vic [Victor Lindelof] at the back patrolling everything. It is showing signs of a proper Aston Villa team again, and hopefully we can keep it up.

“We are used to change. The manager is used to change and I am used to change. The club, unfortunately, is used to change, but that could be different in the next few years when we try to get to where we want to get to."

Villa turned a corner before the extended international break, having lost three of their first four league matches of the season. Now, they have suffered just one defeat in nine matches and have won five of their last six games, scoring three or more goals in four of those victories.

“It was about staying calm, blocking out the noise. We seem to be at our best when we float under the radar and everyone seems to forget about Aston Villa, so if we keep playing like that and we keep adding players playing at their best and making the team a priority, we will be absolutely fine,” McGinn explained.

“It was a really tough start and it would have been very easy to go the other way and to dip your head and for people to start doing their own things. But us who have been here for a long time know to stay calm and trust the manager and try to get everyone building in the same direction.

“Without results that means nothing, though. So it’s nice to see results coming now. It’s getting harder now, against (Manchester) City, Bournemouth, Barca and Fulham. It's a very exciting and demanding time, but we’re now starting to charge.”