The former Aston Villa coach has faced criticism following his unnecessarily condescending comment on The Lions’ key man.
The ex-Aston Villa coach who was also known as the skipper of Manchester United in his playing years, Roy Keane, apparently has to pay the price for his unnecessary negative comments on the club’s most respected player, John McGinn. In The Irishman’s view, his words might not have been harsh, but it was already hurtful enough for Villa fans.
According to the report from Birmingham mail, plenty of them opt to defend the Scottish skipper. One of them was the local broadcaster, Tom Ross.
“One of the most disrespectful things I have heard said by an ex-pro who should know better,”.
Roy Keane recently appeared to make an unnecessary condescending comment on John McGinn’s form in The Overlap Podcast. The former Ireland international was with another pundit, ex-Arsenal frontman, Ian Wright, at that time, when he mentioned him.
“John’s brilliant but he’s one of these fellas, when he’s bad, when he has his bad days, he does look like a pub player. When he’s off he looks shocking.”
Ian Wright soon defended the former Hibernian man as he barely performed below par. Keane still insisted on adding more data before eventually realised McGinn’s importance to the team.
“If you watch him long enough and what the stats are, when he’s in the team week in, week out, if these managers all like him….You’d have him in your group, absolutely and it’s no surprise Villa are doing well. He’s at the forefront of that.”
It is not exactly clear why the former Aston Villa coach made such scathing comments on the player who has been more than just skipper but the club’s element of fortune. He has helped every club and teams he played to end the long-awaited silverware or return to a major international tournament.
Criticising captain McGinn is simply a mistaken move by Keane. He is a popular figure in Villa Park with a great humble character. His form has never been disappointing for Villa.
The 2025/26 season was his stellar season. In fact, it was his best with 10 goals and seven assists in 44 games. He even frequently stepped up and made a contribution in crucial games or matches against the big teams.
Last season, he bagged a winning goal against Bologna in the Europa League opener. It was the first victory of the club after six winless matches. The 31-year-old versatile midfielder also netted a brace in the semifinal at the same tournament while smashing Nottingham Forest 4-0 at home. He provided an assist in the final too.
In the Premier League, the midfielder with 86 international caps provided an assist in a 2-1 win against Manchester United and netted once versus Liverpool in 4-2 triumph last season.
Previously, McGinn’s contribution is beyond ordinary. He bagged a winning goal in the championship playoff in 2019. He also scored one and set up one goal in a 3-2 win over PSG in the Champions League 2024/25 which almost inspired a comeback victory. Overall, he has registered 40 goals and 48 assists in 329 appearances for Villa. Thus, the ex-Aston Villa coach in 2014 really picked the wrong target.
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