Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn could find himself at a crossroads in his Villa career after the appointment of Unai Emery, says transfer insider Dean Jones.

What has happened to McGinn this season?

Aston Villa's season began amid controversy when Steven Gerrard made the decision before the start of the new campaign to remove the captain's armband from Tyrone Mings and make McGinn the club's new skipper.

Gerrard claimed he took the decision to allow Mings to concentrate on his football, but the move backfired on the former England star, as £70,000-a-week star McGinn has suffered for form and Gerrard was then removed from his post in October after a poor start to the season.

Since Gerrard's departure, McGinn has failed to start the two games under caretaker boss Aaron Danks and then was on the bench again as Unai Emery made his bow in the 3-1 win over Manchester United on Sunday.

What does Jones think of McGinn's situation at Villa?

With Unai Emery now in charge at Villa Park, Dean Jones thinks that this is a clean slate for McGinn, but it could go either way for the Scottish midfielder.

Jones told GIVEMEPSPORT: "This really could go either way for McGinn at this point, but it's a fresh start. Emery is a coach who is very open-minded and willing to give everybody a chance. He hasn't even decided who his captain is going to be yet, so I think that's a clear indication that this is a clean slate for everyone."

Does McGinn have a future under Emery?

John McGinn remains a popular player at Villa Park, despite not having his best season for far this campaign. The 28-year-old has played 16 games for Villa this season, but has been substituted six times and is yet to get on the scoresheet for the club.

Emery will look at McGinn's qualities and as someone who has favoured the likes of Francis Coquelin and Mohamed Elneny, who he called an "extraordinary player" in the past at his former clubs, could see a place for him as he shapes his Villa squad.

However, McGinn may find himself once again part of a captaincy change. The Spanish boss hasn't selected a new skipper yet, but former Villa star Gabriel Agbonlaor told talkSPORT that he believes McGinn should be stripped of the armband.

The ex-Villa Park man said: "Villa fans weren't overly happy about that, the way it was done. And I think that added more pressure to John McGinn, it was unfair. I don't think he needs to be captain. I feel like John McGinn will play the same and be a leader on the pitch without the armband."

McGinn's recent lack of game time is also a concern for Scotland boss Steve Clarke, who cited his midfielder's lack of recent game time as a worry as he picked his squad for the friendly with Turkey next week.