Keane's Withering Verdict on McGinn: "Pub Player" When Form Deserts Him

Roy Keane has delivered a characteristically blunt assessment of John McGinn, branding the Aston Villa and Scotland midfielder a "pub player" on his bad days—even as the Irishman grudgingly acknowledged the 31-year-old's undeniable quality.

Speaking on the Stick To Football podcast, Keane didn't mince words about McGinn's inconsistency. "He's one of these fellas, when he's bad, when he has his bad days, he does look like a pub player," Keane said. "When he's off it, he's shocking. When he's bad, wow."

Yet the former Manchester United captain softened his stance when pressed by fellow pundits. "I've watched him long enough," Keane continued, before conceding: "You'd have him in your group. Absolutely. And it's no surprise that Villa doing well and he is at the forefront of that."

Ian Wright and Gary Neville were taken aback by Keane's opening salvo. Wright countered that he rarely sees McGinn deliver poor performances, while Neville pushed back: "But Roy, you'd have him in your team wouldn't you? You'd have him in your group."

McGinn's credentials are hardly in question. The Villa skipper boasts 86 Scotland caps and featured in every minute of their World Cup qualifying campaign. This season, he's been central to Aston Villa's remarkable ascent under Unai Emery, chipping in with ten goals and eight assists across all competitions. His brace in the Europa League semi-final against Nottingham Forest proved decisive as Villa claimed the trophy and finished fourth in the Premier League.

Yet the midfielder has faced criticism for his displays at the last two European Championships. Ahead of Scotland's summer campaign, McGinn has vowed to adjust his approach. "Personally, I will do certain things differently," he said. "I didn't play at my best in the last two major tournaments, alongside probably some others in the group."

He added: "In these games, in these tournaments, you need your big players to come up with big moments. I will enjoy the excitement building up to it, but as it gets closer to the games I will focus on playing the game and not the occasion."

Scotland face Haiti in their opening Group C fixture on Sunday, with Morocco and Brazil to follow in what shapes as a demanding pool.