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Aston Villa midfielder and captain John McGinn has extended his stay at Villa Park by penning a new contract with the club until 2028. Aston Villa's club statement announced the news on Wednesday afternoon, which sees the Scotland international continue his stay with the Premier League side, after playing a pivotal role in the club's rise. Then-Championship Villa signed McGinn from Scottish Premier League outfit Hibernian in 2018 for a £2.8m fee when Steve Bruce was at the helm, and the combative midfielder has since gone on to make over 300 appearances for Villa. Since his arrival from Scotland, skipper McGinn has been a persistent presence in the Villa midfield, and his presence is set to continue. McGinn Signs New Aston Villa Contract The Villa Park faithful will be elated to see the 31-year-old extend his stay with the club, given that McGinn has been synonymous with Villa's rise from the Championship to achieving Champions League status last season. In each of his campaigns in an Aston Villa jersey, barring the ongoing season, the Scotsman has notched at least 30 combined appearances in all competitions. During his debut season at Villa, McGinn quickly became a fan favourite to scoop the Supporters' Player of the 2018/19 season, and went on to score the winner in the Championship play-off final win over Derby County to send his side back to the top flight, as well as their first goal back in the Premier League months later. Within the Premier League, McGinn continued to show his credentials as a footballer and leader, with former Villa boss Steven Gerrard promoting the Scotsman to captain ahead of the 2022/23 campaign. With Unai Emery overseeing Villa's venture into European football, McGinn has continued to impress with solid performances and spectacular goals, namely his stunning long-range strike in last term's 3-2 Champions League victory against eventual winners PSG, which was unsurprisingly voted the club's goal of the season. In 2018, SPL giants Celtic had multiple bids rejected by Hibernian for McGinn before Villa secured his services, and the Scotsman's former boss at Hibs has been proven right following the midfielder's success in English football. McGinn's Former Boss Proven Right After Aston Villa Success After Villa signed McGinn in the summer window of 2018, his former head coach, Alan Stubbs, told BBC Sport that he would go on to be a "real success" at the Birmingham outfit. "He's got all the attributes to be a real success at Aston Villa, I think he's an absolute steal. "He's got all the attributes to be a real success at Aston Villa - not just his use of the ball but his use of his body, using his backside and his leg strength is so strong. "You need that dynamism when you are going down to England when you are coming up against a lot of big, physical players." With McGinn going on to score 33 goals and register 41 assists in 301 games for Villa, Stubbs' prediction regarding the Scotsman has been proven true, and his acquisition by the Villains for just shy of £3m has proven to be an exceptional piece of business.
