Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard praises Scotland star John McGinn as captaincy choice explained

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has heaped praise on John McGinn as he explained the decision to make the Scotland star his new captain.

The former Rangers boss revealed last week that he was taking the armband off England defender Tyrone Mings in favour of McGinn.

And at a press conference ahead of the new English Premier League season kicking off he revealed the admiration in which the former Hibs and St Mirren man is held in Birmingham.

He said: “I always wanted to name a full-time captain and I wanted that to be my captain and my decision.

“I analysed the group really closely on and off the pitch and I am really and content with my decision to go with John McGinn.

“He is universally respected, he has been around the club for a long time, the fans adore him and everyone around Bodymoor, everyone around Villa Park, have got major respect for John, his peers have, he plays with consistency, he is my type of player and that is a few reasons why I decided to go with him.”

McGinn, who is also Steve Clarke’s vice-captain for Scotland, has scored 16 goals in 148 games since joining Villa for around £2.5m in 2018.

As well as becoming a fan favourite down south he has also established himself as a key man at international level and has scored 13 goals in 48 caps.