There are key figures at Manchester United who like Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn.

That's according to journalist Pete O'Rourke, who was speaking to Give Me Sport.

The lowdown

According to Transfermarkt, McGinn (£27million) is the sixth most valuable player in the Aston Villa ranks, behind Emiliano Martinez, Emiliano Buendia, Leon Bailey, Douglas Luiz (all £31.5million) and Ollie Watkins (£28.8million).

But Spotrac figures show that he is one of the lowest earners in the first team, pocketing £25,000 per week.

The Scotsman has earned plenty of plaudits, with one journalist describing his rise as 'remarkable' and another ranking him as one of the top 10 players in the Premier League at present.

The latest

O'Rourke hinted at the possibility of a Manchester United swoop for McGinn.

"John McGinn, I know for sure, has got admirers within the Manchester United hierarchy," he said.

The verdict

The stats illustrate McGinn's importance to Villa. As of Saturday morning, he was the club's highest-performing player according to WhoScored metrics, averaging a 7.18/10 rating.

He's recorded 2.8 tackles, 1.5 tackles (both squad-highs) and 1.4 dribbles per 90 minutes.

Only Ollie Watkins (six) has notched more direct goal contributions than the 27-year-old (five).

The Athletic reported in the summer that McGinn had impressed Jurgen Klopp, and that he was on Liverpool's radar as they considered possible Georginio Wijnaldum replacements.

With two clubs of that stature keen, it may not be long before he moves on from Villa, so this is certainly a worrying verdict from O'Rourke.

In other news, fans reacted to this transfer update from Gregg Evans.