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Aston Villa will surely have to win promotion to the Premier League in order to keep hold of midfielder John McGinn, who is bound to have impressed top-flight clubs with his performances in the early stages of the 2018-19 campaign.

What's the word, then?

It would be fair to say that Villa have struggled for consistency in the early weeks of the season despite boasting one of the best squads - talent-wise at least - in the second tier.

There have been positives for Steve Bruce's side, however, and there is no question that one of those has been the performances of McGinn.

The nine-time Scotland international joined Villa from Hibernian last month, signing a four-year contract with the Championship outfit.

Celtic had been strongly linked with a move for a player who scored six times in 43 appearances last season, but Villa managed to win the race.

McGinn captured the attention with a quite stunning goal against Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship last weekend, but his overall performances would have certainly impressed scouts watching on from Premier League clubs.

Can Villa keep hold of McGinn?

It had been thought that Villa needed to gain promotion last season to keep hold of the likes of Jack Grealish and James Chester, but both stayed at Villa Park.

There is no question that Villa are a massive football club, but they will find it very tough to keep hold of McGinn without the offer of Premier League football next season.

Indeed, the 5ft 10in ace has the potential to be a star for a number of top-flight teams, with his clever use of the ball and intelligence on the field just two of his main attributes.

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Villa are currently down in 13th position in the Championship table, and will enter Friday's clash with Bristol City off the back of a defeat to Sheffield Wednesday last weekend.

McGinn will again line up for Bruce's team, and will be looking to inspire Villa to an important three points in front of admiring eyes.

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