Former Chelsea and England star Joe Cole has urged Manchester United to make a push for Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn in the summer.
Speaking on BT Sport, as relayed by the Express, former Premier League star and England international Joe Cole has called on Manchester United to sign Aston Villa mainstay John McGinn to resolve their midfield muddle.
Manchester United have had long-standing problems in the middle of the park with no end in sight. Nemanja Matic has started to show signs of decline, whereas neither Fred nor Scott McTominay has been nearly consistent enough. The same goes for Paul Pogba as well, who is believed to be keen on a return to Juventus when his contract runs out at the end of the season.
Given the situation, Manchester United have been linked with a plethora of midfielders ranging from Declan Rice to Kalvin Phillips and Youri Tielemans, among various others.
However, according to Joe Cole, the 20-time English champions would stand to benefit from signing a player like John McGinn, claiming that there would be no unnecessary off-field drama with someone like him.
The former Chelsea winger said: “You look at that club, and you constantly hear noises about this player is unhappy because the manager said this and this player’s unhappy because he’s been given time off here and he didn’t want it and all this.
“You just want lads like him [McGinn] through the door. First of all, they have to be good enough and he’s certainly good enough as a footballer but that is so valuable for a manager in the current climate. You know you haven’t got to mollycoddle him, he’s going to come in and do his job. He’s not an Instagram footballer, he gets on with it and does his job.”
McGinn has gradually established himself as one of the most reliable midfielders in the Premier League after helping Aston Villa win promotion to the English top-flight. The Scotsman has previously been linked with a move to Old Trafford, but nothing came of it.
But with Manchester United in desperate need of a central midfielder in the summer, a player like McGinn, with his all-round abilities and no-nonsense approach, can be an ideal fit into the scheme of things. However, luring him away from Villa Park would be a whole different challenge altogether.
Former Chelsea and England star Joe Cole has urged Manchester United to make a push for Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn in the summer.
Speaking on BT Sport, as relayed by the Express, former Premier League star and England international Joe Cole has called on Manchester United to sign Aston Villa mainstay John McGinn to resolve their midfield muddle.
Manchester United have had long-standing problems in the middle of the park with no end in sight. Nemanja Matic has started to show signs of decline, whereas neither Fred nor Scott McTominay has been nearly consistent enough. The same goes for Paul Pogba as well, who is believed to be keen on a return to Juventus when his contract runs out at the end of the season.
Given the situation, Manchester United have been linked with a plethora of midfielders ranging from Declan Rice to Kalvin Phillips and Youri Tielemans, among various others.
However, according to Joe Cole, the 20-time English champions would stand to benefit from signing a player like John McGinn, claiming that there would be no unnecessary off-field drama with someone like him.
The former Chelsea winger said: “You look at that club, and you constantly hear noises about this player is unhappy because the manager said this and this player’s unhappy because he’s been given time off here and he didn’t want it and all this.
“You just want lads like him [McGinn] through the door. First of all, they have to be good enough and he’s certainly good enough as a footballer but that is so valuable for a manager in the current climate. You know you haven’t got to mollycoddle him, he’s going to come in and do his job. He’s not an Instagram footballer, he gets on with it and does his job.”
McGinn has gradually established himself as one of the most reliable midfielders in the Premier League after helping Aston Villa win promotion to the English top-flight. The Scotsman has previously been linked with a move to Old Trafford, but nothing came of it.
But with Manchester United in desperate need of a central midfielder in the summer, a player like McGinn, with his all-round abilities and no-nonsense approach, can be an ideal fit into the scheme of things. However, luring him away from Villa Park would be a whole different challenge altogether.