Aston Villa youngster has praised the skipper’s role in helping him to get settled in Villa Park.
Being a young player who moved abroad for the first time is not always easy. However, Aidan Borland does not seem to experience such. Yet, he does not only try to get settled by himself but also gains massive support from Aston Villa captain himself, John McGinn.
The 19-year old defensive midfielder shared McGinn’s role in helping him get settled in Villa Park, as reported in Birmingham mail.
“it’s been great ever since I went down. He’s looked after me and looked out for me on the training pitch and gave me his number to reach out if I ever needed anything on and off the pitch. So there’s no better role model than the captain of your country.”
Borland added in his comment on how McGinn has been the ideal figure to look up to.
“Also being the captain of your club, as someone to look up to and obviously helps as well having boys through the academy that I’ve known from a young age, being Scottish players as well. So it definitely helps you settle in.”
John McGinn has been highly praised in the Lions. Since being appointed as a captain during Steven Gerrard’s tenure, the versatile Scotsman has proven his worth as an ideal skipper on and off the pitch.
On the pitch, he could lead as well as inspire his teammates to go through any difficulties. He has scored crucial goals in the decisive games, broken the deadlock when the club needed the goal the most to ease the burden and the team’s lack of confidence due to the negative trend.
Meanwhile, his role off the pitch has been mentioned above. He has been a popular figure at the club and easy going to reach out. His presence exudes optimism and warmth.
Meanwhile, Aidan himself has been currently on his second loan spell after developing well in the reserve team. The product of Celtic academy joined The Lions in 2023 and quickly rose to prominence as he was already promoted to the reserve team in his first season after his fine form with the U18 team.
The defensive midfielder even won the FA Youth Cup with the U18 team in 2025 and was already playing as a team captain. Overall, he has made 52 appearances with the U21 side or reserve team, netting once and providing five assists.
Borland then has been sent on loan since last season. He was loaned out to Swindon Town in League Two. He played 18 times in the 2025/26. This season he is loaned out to another 4th tier side, Accrington Stanley, but only made three appearances so far.
Nevertheless, his potential does not go unnoticed. The Villa academy, Mark Harrison shared his view on Borland.
“Aidan is very dynamic and can manage the ball effectively. We are very pleased Aidan has joined us, as we know there was a lot of interest in him“
The post ‘He gave me his number’ – Aston Villa youngster praises the skipper’s role in settling in appeared first on AVillaFan.com – Aston Villa Fan Site.
