Alan Hutton believes John McGinn is thriving off the "freedom" Unai Emery is giving him at Aston Villa.

McGinn, 29, is one of the Premier League's form players for high-flying Villa, most recently scoring in a 3-1 win over Fulham before the international break.

The Scotland international had fallen out of favour prior to the Basque coach's arrival but is now thriving in a more advanced role for the impressive West Midlanders.

Villa fan favourite Hutton told LiveScore on behalf of Horse.bet: "I think he's unleashed him.

"When he was working under previous managers, he was happy to stick to one job whereas now he's got freedom to go and play.

"I know sometimes he can play off the wing or in certain games that they play a box in midfield and he gets forward and he gets involved and plays a lot more.

"So he uses aggression and all the things he's good at from before but he's just added that attacking presence as well, which we see when he plays for Scotland. 

"He's really freed up to go and play and just express himself. I think he now gets that freedom at Aston Villa. 

"The biggest thing for him now is the manager trusts him. When you've got that trust and belief from the manager, you're going to go and shine. We're actually seeing the best of him now."

Hutton's final season at Villa coincided with McGinn's first at Villa Park in 2018-19, with the ex-Hibernian midfielder now a vital cog in Emery's machine.

The two remain in regular contact and Hutton says his fellow Scot speaks of how he is benefitting from the four-time Europa League winner's intense and methodical approach off the pitch.

Hutton revealed: "He [McGinn] tells me that he [Emery] goes through literally everything in long meetings — he goes through every pass, he dissects everything that he wants them to do.

"And he says it can be tough mentally, those sorts of things can be tough. 

"But it's working. As a footballer, when you see the team progressing and moving forward and winning games, you don't mind it.

"He's obviously happy with the way things are going and how the mood is.

"Everybody is going in one direction, they can see what they're trying to get to."