Former Aston Villa and Celtic midfielder Stilian Petrov told BBC Radio 5 Live his thoughts on Aston Villa’s Europa League win against Lille on Thursday: “It was incredible. Such an exciting time at the moment for Aston Villa, as a club. What a relationship Unai Emery has with European football, the excitement around Villa, the fans, the players. The satisfaction last night was incredible.
“They can only bounce and take positives from from this European run. They have gone through some difficult spells, missing key players, important players, but seeing John McGinn back again, leading the team, his attitude, his work ethic. I mean, yesterday, he was out for two months, but you know what – he’s got stuck in. He performed really well.
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“The thing I noticed was his ability to get up the pitch, considering he’s been out injured, he covered a lot of ground to be there to get the finish. It’s a great determination.
“He’s one of these honest players who gives everything to the club. He’s not just a good leader, but he’s a great team-mate as well. He sets the tempo. He did set the tempo last night.
“You know somebody who’s been out for two months, sometimes you lose certain things in the game, fitness, sharpness, but you know what – he’s got that willingness to get in the box and just give that advantage to Villa.”
Listen to Petrov on 5 Live Breakfast from 2 hours, 18 minutes in