McGinn insists Villa can still compete despite big name exits

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

John McGinn insisted Aston Villa still have the same “hunger and desire to go and achieve more” despite their transfer outgoings this summer.

Villa have seen three key players depart in this transfer window, most notably the exit of Morgan Rogers to Chelsea for a reported £117m.

Youri Tielemans has joined Manchester United, while Lucas Digne recently completed a move to Paris Saint-Germain, who Villa face in the Super Cup on Wednesday.

Unai Emery’s side will also be without Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa and Emiliano Martinez for the Super Cup, while marquee signing Johan Manzambi is sidelined with a knee injury.

Nevertheless, McGinn is confident Villa can continue to build on their Europa League success last season as their expectations have not changed.

“A lot has changed, yeah, but a lot has changed in the eight years that I’ve been here,” McGinn said.

“We’ve still got the same hunger and desire to go and achieve more.” 

The captain speaks ahead of the #SuperCup 

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) August 11, 2026

“When we got promoted to the Premier League, there was a lot of change in the summer.

“When you’re signing the best young English talent, there’s only going to be interest in them. When your players are performing at the highest level, there’s going to be interest.

“The expectations? Similar to where it’s been in the past few seasons. I think we’ve consistently competed with the best in England, I think we’ve consistently competed with the best in Europe no matter what the competition is.

“A lot of people thought we’d reached our ceiling a couple of seasons ago and we proved them wrong.

“We’ve still got the same hunger and desire to go and achieve more, and as long as we’ve got the hunger and desire to do that you can expect as much as possible.”

This is Villa’s second appearance in the Super Cup, previously beating Barcelona 3-1 on aggregate as reigning European Cup champions in 1983.

However, the Europa League holders have won the Super Cup in just one of the last 13 seasons, with Atletico Madrid beating Real Madrid 4-2 in 2018.

General Soccer News

Emery ahead of Super Cup clash: Villa are not stopping here

General Soccer News

Spalletti sees Juventus future for Douglas Luiz after positive pre-season

General Soccer News

Marquinhos urges PSG to ‘keep making history’ ahead of Super Cup clash

General Soccer News

Sporting’s Diomande seals switch to Nottingham Forest

General Soccer News

PSG defender Pacho credits Luis Enrique for recent success

General Soccer News

Cash: Aston Villa want to finish off work from last season in Super Cup

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By using our website you agree to our use of cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.