Newcastle Opinion: Should Benitez hijack Leicester’s move for John Mcginn

The Mirror has reported that Brendan Rodgers is all set to make a move for Aston Villa midfielder John Mcginn in the summer. The new Leicester City manager targeted McGinn earlier when the player was at Hibernian but failed with a move, and is looking to get his man now.

However, if that’s true, that’s a move that Rafael Benitez and Newcastle United should look to hijack. The 24-year-old is predominantly a central midfielder who can play across the midfield, even as a defensive midfielder.

While that shows a wide range of skills, it’s in the middle of the park that McGinn excels, doing his best work from there.

An all-action midfielder, the Scottish star is eerily similar to Southampton star Stuart Armstrong. However, unlike the former Celtic man, the Aston Villa star has a defensive bone in his body and can be used in a much deeper role.

This ability for Newcastle United is something that they need given their current midfield situation. While Rafael Benitez has found his midfield pairing in Isaac Hayden and Sean Longstaff, they need another box-to-box midfielder.

Sung-Yeung Ki has been used predominantly as a holding midfielder this season, while Jonjo Shelvey has suffered injuries. That leaves the Magpies with just Mohamed Diame and the 31-year-old has failed to impress anyone during his stint with the Magpies so far.

So if Newcastle are to have even a slight chance of surviving the Premier League next season, they need to invest. Hence, making a move for John Mcginn would make sense.

The Mirror has reported that the 24-year old’s transfer fee isn’t above £4million, which makes it an achievable transfer for Newcastle.

The 24-year-old’s defensive nuance, accurate passing, offensive instincts and his tenacity have allowed him to flourish in the Championship. The move to Aston Villa would have had many believing that John Mcginn would struggle to adapt but the Scottish international has done well so far.

Not only has he adapted but the 24-year-old has been a crucial part of the team, making 30 appearances so far. For Newcastle United, Mcginn is someone who will go above and beyond for the side even in a relegation battle.

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That’s the desire that the club have missed this season, and it’s something that Newcastle United desperately need.