It has been over a year since Celtic scrambled at the last minute trying to sign John McGinn after refusing to meet Hibernian’s valuation all summer.
The move broke down before it even properly started and by the time Celtic did have a bid accepted, John was in Birmingham ready to sign for Villa. Water under the bridge for both parties now.
However, the Scottish international still gets asked the question about how a Celtic fan turned down the club he supported as a boy. McGinn said he had his heart set on a move and had told Neil Lennon who was at Easter Road he wanted to go.
“I think Celtic had a few offers at the time and openly I had my heart set on it. I’d spoken to everyone at Hibs including Neil Lennon, who ironically is now the Celtic manager.” John told the Birmingham Mail.
“I’m wrapped in a Celtic bubble up the road. A lot of my family are Celtic fans and all my friends go and follow them home and away. At the time it was so tough. Every day I was getting the questions and even I didn’t know what was going on.”
Asked if he could ever make the move to Celtic, John was clear it will always be on his mind.
“You never say never in football,” he added. “When you’ve got that instilled in you it never really does leave you. Obviously the circumstances mean that I’m now an Aston Villa player but I’ll just take each year as it comes and if it does happen down the line then who knows.”
John has taken England by storm and helped Aston Villa back to the Premier League last term. He has gained many admirers over the piece and could find himself at a bigger club sooner rather than later. Sitting just outside the drop zone, the mission for the player is to help Villa stay in the Premier League at the moment.
