Tyrone Mings shares emotional John McGinn tribute after Europa League final victory

Tyrone Mings and John McGinn have gone on a rollercoaster of a journey together during their time at Aston Villa.

The veteran defender has spent the last seven years at Villa Park, not including a six-month loan back in 2019, with the Scot joining on a £2.7million deal from Hibernian in the summer of 2018.

Now, the pair have done their part to end the Villans’ 30-year wait for a trophy, with Morgan Rogers, Emi Buendia and Youri Tielemans doing the damage in a 3-0 win over Freiburg on Wednesday, 20 May.

Unai Emery is the master when it comes to the Europa League title, doing so for the fifth time as a manager, but he is only as talented as the players at his disposal each season.

Team news, line-ups, expert previews and tactical analysis for every Aston Villa fixture.

It is clear that Mings and McGinn share a close bond, having gone through so much together during their time in B6, and that has been evident on social media after the final.

Taking to Instagram (21 May), Mings shared a “then versus now” post, sharing images from Villa’s 2018-29 Championship play-off final win and their Europa League celebrations.

The duo have gone on an incredible journey together at Villa Park, and sharing a touching tribute on social media, the defender accompanied the images with the caption, “Big up yaself, John McGinn”.

Given that Mings is about to enter the final 12 months of his career, it might have been one of the final times for the defender to truly savour success, and McGinn is being linked with moves away as well.

It has already been suggested that Emery could be in his final season at Villa Park, and this would be the ideal way for the Spaniard to bow out after nearly four years in B6.

Villa are also ready to lose Morgan Rogers, with Ollie Watkins, Emi Martinez, Amadou Onana and McGinn himself being heavily linked with exits ahead of the summer transfer window.

The squad that supporters have fallen in love with this season may look entirely different next term, and that is one of the downfalls of having a successful campaign in the Premier League.

Giants from all over Europe will come knocking at Villa Park’s doors, and it could be difficult to turn down some of these deals, given the financial problems that the Villans often struggle with.

🦁 ASTON VILLA INSIDER UPDATE 🦁

Get the inside track on the Villa Park dugout, transfer strategy, player wages, and technical leadership at Bodymoor Heath.