Best Alternatives to James McClean

Top 3 Alternatives to James McClean

1. 1.John McGinn84% DNA match·Aston Villa€15.0M
2. 2.Josh Cullen82% DNA match·Burnley€6.0M
3. 3.Lewis Cook81% DNA match·AFC Bournemouth€13.0M

Ranked by AI DNA similarity — 768 dimensions across playing style, pressing intensity, and tactical fit.

Playing Style Analysis

A Ball-Winner. Statistically, he stands out as a reliable supplier (0.20 assists/90), an aggressive ball-winner (3.1 tackles/90), wins the physical battle (56% duel success), wins the ball cleanly (2.0 successful tackles/90), heavily involved in play (55 touches/90), active off the ball (2.7 press score/90), contributing to defensive transitions and top 10% tackler in the league. The three most similar players to James McClean by playing style are:

• John McGinn(84% match) — A Creator. Statistically, he stands out as naturally left-footed, an elite creator (1.8 key passes/90), a reliable supplier (0.17 assists/90), draws fouls effectively (2.1/90) and top 20% creator in the league. However, he loses possession under pressure (2.0 dispossessed/90).
• Josh Cullen(82% match) — A Balanced Midfielder. Statistically, he stands out as active in the tackle (1.8 tackles/90), wins the physical battle (55% duel success), penetrates with forward passing (9.2 final-third passes/90), heavily involved in play (64 touches/90), uses long balls frequently (5.7/90) and active off the ball (2.5 press score/90), contributing to defensive transitions.
• Lewis Cook(81% match) — A Box-to-Box. Statistically, he stands out as a capable chance creator (1.1 key passes/90), an aggressive ball-winner (2.7 tackles/90), reads the game exceptionally (2.6 interceptions/90), meticulous in distribution (87% pass accuracy), wins the physical battle (61% duel success), heavily involved in play (69 touches/90), uses long balls frequently (5.6/90) and a high-intensity presser (press score 3.9/90), constantly disrupting opposition build-up. Note: this profile is based on 877 minutes of playing time this season.

Similarity is calculated using per-90 performance data across multiple playing style dimensions. How Player DNA matching works →