'I'm in the best condition I've ever been in - I could go on until I'm 40!'

MCGINN'S NEW DEAL COMES WITH A BURNING DESIRE TO HELP VILLA CLAIM SILVERWARE

- By JOHN TOWNLEY

JOHN McGinn feels at the peak of his powers and insists he'd be happy to stay at Aston Villa into his 40s as he relentlessly pursues silverware with the club.

The Villa captain - who this week signed a new contract extension keeping him at the club until the summer of 2028 - has played a crucial role in Villa's rise from the Championship to the Champions League last season and will now look to lead the club forward with no question marks over his future.

However, having turned 31 last month, the midfielder doesn't want to look too far ahead just yet.

"When you get older, each birthday actually becomes quite miserable because you think, 'Oh no, that's my genuine thought," he admits.

"My dad said that to me: 'What's up with you?' I said, well, I've hit 'the big three.' And everyone gets obsessed with it, but in my career, I always play better when I've got a point to prove, and I think now I'm actually in the best condition I've been in a long time physically, feeling as fit as ever.

"I am very close to my agent, who has been with me since the start of my career, David, and he is different from other football agents," McGinn adds.

"He doesn't just care about the contract, he cares about the person.

"He cares about what you're doing off the field and what you're doing next - your next target. In the summer, we had an honest chat, me and him. He is able to say what he likes to me.

"He said, the first day of preseason, I want you to come in like you've never looked before. I went to America to work with a woman called Natalie, who trains many serious NFL players and UFC players during the off-season to keep them in tiptop shape.

"Aye, she absolutely beasted me! It was 45-degree heat in Arizona. It was really, really tough. The benefits of that were that I came back in the best shape I've been in for a long time.