Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn says he remains hopeful he will continue playing alongside Jack Grealish next season but admitted he cannot be sure what will happen next.
Grealish has been Villa’s talisman throughout the season and he proved it again on Sunday with a goal to help his side stay in the Premier League.
With the season now finished, attention now turns to whether the 24-year-old will still be at Villa Park next season.
Manchester United are said to be considering a move for Grealish as a cover option for Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba.
But Villa are reluctant to let their prized asset leave and his price tag is understood to be around £80million.
Alongside Grealish, McGinn is one of Villa’s most important players and while the Scotland star praised his team-mate for staying focused on their survival efforts, he appeared to be bracing himself for the playmaker’s eventual departure.
“Jack scored a massive goal for this club and no-one can get away from that,” McGinn said.
“He woke up on Sunday and we had a chat, all the focus was on keeping Villa in this league.
“Our focus last season was getting the club promoted, our focus this year was keeping them in the league and we have managed to do that.
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“It’s always Jack that’s expected to come up with the goods in football matches and I think that to truly test himself and how good he can be, he needs to be playing football in Europe.
“Villa obviously are aspiring to get there, but they might be a few seasons away from that. So for Jack, if he wants to get there soon, he might have to think about leaving.
“But at the same time, as a Villa fan, you want to see him with the claret colours on, scoring goals and providing the goals for his teammates. That’s where we want him, but from his point of view, if he wants to play European football, then he’s got to think about his future now, and I’m pretty sure he will be.”
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