HIBERNIAN youngster John McGinn admits his move to Easter Road has helped him mature both on and off the pitch and has no regrets over choosing Alan Stubbs' side over Houston Dynamo this summer.
The Scotland Under-21 player, who could be named captain by Ricky Sbragia for tomorrow's European Championship opener in Northern Ireland, switched from St Mirren to Easter Road after a trial spell in America with Owen Coyle's Houston Dynamo.
McGinn believes the move to Leith has helped him grow up as a person as he prepares to leave the family home for the first time. And he's been taken aback by the size of his new club. He explained: "I’ll be living by myself. Moving through will help me concentrate on the football and gives me rest in between training sessions.
"I’m a wee bit spoon fed just now. My mum does my washing, my cooking and cleaning. I’ll be forever grateful but it’s time I started doing that for myself. I’m not looking forward to it to be honest – I'm the worst cook ever!
"I knew how good a club Hibs was, but the size took me by surprise a little. You walk about the street and there are Hibees everywhere. I’m moving through next week so I’ll have to start getting used to that. It’s a privilege to play for such a big club. Hopefully we can bring the fans success.
"It is a Premiership club in the wrong division, but it’s down there for a reason. They got relegated because they weren’t good enough. For me personally it’s about playing games every week. I had other offers which wasn’t guaranteeing that. It’s a really important move for me because it’s that age where I’m developing and I need to play to get better.
"In the summer, I went to Houston and it was one I had to go and try. I was really thankful to Owen and Sandy Stewart for me giving the chance over there. But Hibs was always an option and I’m grateful I could go to Hibs."
McGinn was Under-21 skipper in their last game – a 2-1 win in Hungary. And he's sure Sbragia's side can make a big impact in their group . . . starting in Lurgan.
He said: "The captaincy thing has not been brought up. The last time it was a massive honour. It was something that came as a bit of a surprise to me but I really enjoyed it and it gives you that extra bit of confidence.
"Whoever Ricky decides to choose, if it’s me I’ll be more than happy to do so. I feel as though I’ve got the experience and maturity to go and carry the duties that are required. If it’s someone else then I’ll support them in the role.
"I think we’ve got a really exciting squad, we’ve got a lot of boys that were in the last campaign that experienced some highs and some lows across the board. We’ve got really good ability going forward and if we can get them to express themselves then we’ve got nothing to fear.
"When you are a young boy you dream of playing for your country, no matter what stage, no matter what level. So we’ve got an opportunity that can’t be taken for granted and I’m really privileged to be given the chance."
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