John McGinn explains how he rediscovered his 'spark' at Aston Villa
Villa captain John McGinn has explained how an extended summer break helped him rediscover his spark.
The Scotland international claims to feel as “fit as he’s ever been” after an impressive few weeks which have seen him score three goals in four matches to help kickstart Villa’s season.
McGinn concedes a refresh was needed after a gruelling two years which saw him play 123 matches for club and country.
And an off-season without an international tournament proved precisely what was needed, with the Villa skipper also revealing he undertook extra fitness work to ensure he returned in the best possible shape.
Speaking ahead of Scotland’s World Cup qualifier with Greece on Thursday night, McGinn said: “Maybe it was the longer rest over the summer. I had two and a half weeks of pretty much doing nothing.
“Then I went to America and did my own individual training camp to try and get myself in better shape.
“I wanted to be fresh and ready to go for the new season.
“I had a good pre-season too. The start to the campaign for Villa hasn’t been perfect. But I feel in a good place now and hopefully I can offer more.”
McGinn, who turns 31 later this month, remains an integral part of boss Unai Emery’s plans at Villa and has started all 10 of the club’s matches this season.
But the manager has also been prepared to remove his captain from the action early to ensure he remains in the best possible shape.
McGinn scored in consecutive matches against Bologna, Fulham and Feyenoord to help inject life into a Villa season which failed to get going over the opening month.
“Did I feel I had to reset? Aye, I think I just had to get that wee bit of spark back,” he continued.
“I’ve played a lot of games over the past few seasons continuously. So you maybe lose a bit of sharpness and just kinda plod on.
“But for me to be at my best, I need to be sharp and helping the team. I feel I’m back to that now.
“I’m obviously not getting any younger so you try to let your body refresh. In the last couple of years, I’ve been full-on but this year I got a good rest.
“The manager at Villa (Emery) has been good at giving me time off. I now feel as fit as I’ve ever been and hopefully it can carry on.”
