Gabby Agbonlahor has launched a fierce defence of Aston Villa and Scotland captain John McGinn after Roy Keane branded him a pub player on a recent podcast.
Keane sparked outrage among both the Tartan Army and Villa supporters by suggesting McGinn is an inconsistent performer who can look alarmingly poor on his bad days.
The Manchester United legend said: “McGinn is one of these fellas, when he has his bad days, he does look like a pub player. When he’s off it, he’s shocking. I’ve watched him long enough. When he’s bad, wow. But you’d have him in your group. Absolutely.”
Former Villa striker Agbonlahor wasted no time in tearing apart that assessment, insisting Keane’s comments exposed a lack of regular viewing of Unai Emery’s side.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Agbonlahor said: “I’ve got a bone to pick with Roy Keane because he’s on a podcast recently and he said when he’s not at it that John McGinn’s a pub player.”
The ex-Villa forward made his feelings crystal clear, adding: “That just sums up Roy Keane to be honest. It says to me, tell me you don’t watch Aston Villa every week without telling me. John McGinn, every game, is at it.”
Agbonlahor was emphatic in his conclusion, stating: “He’s never a pub player. John McGinn is the most reliable player. Game after game, seven or eight out of 10. So Roy Keane, be quiet mate.”
McGinn cemented his legendary status at Villa Park by captaining the club to Europa League glory last month, adding further silverware to a remarkable tenure at the club.
The Scottish midfielder originally joined Aston Villa from Hibs in 2018 for just £2.75 million, making the 31-year-old one of the best value signings in the club’s recent history.
Agbonlahor also had a personal dimension to his criticism, having worked under Keane during the Irishman’s brief spell as assistant manager at Villa in 2014, and he pulled no punches on that experience either.
He said: “Not a great coach. Look at his coaching career, he’s not done well. He wasn’t a great coach. Anger issues. Different generation of players.”
Agbonlahor even recalled a memorable dressing room incident involving Keane and a can of Red Bull after a match at QPR, describing it as a full-blown tantrum that left players struggling to keep straight faces.
He said: “I remember after a game at QPR he got a can of Red Bull and threw it across the shower. He was like, ‘Red Bull, I see you all drinking it, it doesn’t work. Do the science!'”
Agbonlahor delivered the sharpest punchline of all, pointing out the glaring contradiction in Keane’s own published writing on the subject of energy drinks.
He said: “He went on this tantrum. My face was like, I’m going to burst out laughing here. But apparently in one of his books, he was like ‘I have a Red Bull before every game’. Make your mind up Roy… which one is it mate?”
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