John McGinn: Aston Villa's Atypical Technician

John McGinn’s competition is fierce – but there is a chance that he is the world’s most underappreciated footballer, a feat made even more remarkable by his Premier League status and talismanic form for Scotland.

Usually, truly ‘underrated’ players are based outside of the ‘major leagues’ in Europe. They are dominant domestically and productive internationally, but left on the outside looking in at the ‘big’ show. Beloved by the kind of people who champion the ‘next big thing’ in Major League Soccer, the Belgian Pro League, or the Chilean Primera Division. Nerds, this author included, in other words.

McGinn doesn’t fit the mould above – he is a veteran figure in the world’s strongest domestic competition and has starred for his national team for years. Even so, his level of play is underappreciated beyond the borders of his heartlands: Birmingham (the claret and blue side) and Scotland. The question is: why?

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