Villa bowed out of the competition after a 2-0 defeat (6-2 on aggregate) to Olympiacos in the second leg of the last-four tie on Thursday (09.05.24) and the midfielder is devastated that they were unable to end a trophy drought stretching back to 1996.

McGinn told TNT Sports: "We went into the competition as favourites - we handled that pressure through the competition. We got to the semi-final down to the bare bones. However, those of us who were out there, we lost to the better team and the scoreline proves that.

"We're extremely disappointed for everyone involved. We wanted to be in a European final and we'll do everything we can to get in this position again and reach a final. Our instant feeling is absolutely gutted. There's a lot of things we could've done better. But over the season we can be proud of the journey.

"We need to apologise to the supporters who travelled the whole campaign with us - we wanted to deliver a trophy to them. Tonight the overriding feeling is frustration and an opportunity missed."

Despite their disappointment, Villa are still well-placed to qualify for the Champions League next season and McGinn thinks that the continental campaign can act as a "learning curve" for the future.

The Villa skipper said: "I think it has been a big learning curve for us. It's not been a smooth journey.

"For us going into more European competition next season, we need to learn how to manage moments a lot better."