McMahon was strong, tough tackling and powerful. Scored a few belters in his time as well. A player I really loved as a kid. I think Gary Gilliespie's assertion though that Stevie wouldn't have made the 87-88 team is wrong. I'd put Gerrard ahead of McMahon as a player, as a central midfielder though I'm not so sure.
Bringing players like Lucas into this conversation though is a bit silly. I like him and think he's improving all the time but nowhere near the level of McMahon, Molby or Whelan. There are about 4-5 players in the last 10 years who may have had a sniff in that 87-88 squad and that's about it