JOHN McGINN will spend the first part of the close season keeping himself ticking over in case he is required to play for Scotland against England. It is a far cry from two years ago when he was recovering from being accidentally spiked in the leg by former St Mirren team-mate Steven Thompson, uncertain of where his future may lie.
Out of contract at the recently-relegated Paisley club, the midfielder knew he would be moving on but had little idea of the destination. There was interest in him from clubs on both sides of the border, but for a spell it looked as if he would be heading to America to join Houston Dynamo, then managed by Owen Coyle.
The MLS is a better league than many give it credit for but, for a young Scot still making his way in the game, it is difficult to see how that move would have advanced McGinn’s career. When the deal broke down, it was Hibernian who moved in to sign the then 20-year-old for a cut-price compensation fee.
It is a transfer that has worked well for both parties. McGinn has been a key performer for first Alan Stubbs and then Neil Lennon, his form earning him a Scotland call-up and now his second successive nomination for the PFA Championship player of the year award.
There has also been the small matter of last year’s Scottish Cup success, and this season a league winner’s medal that will be presented to him on Saturday prior to the last game of the campaign against his old club St Mirren.
He will re-assess his situation in the summer as he does at the end of every season but, given what he has already achieved in two years at Easter Road, there are no regrets that the proposed American dream never came to fruition.
“Everything happens for a reason,” the 22 year-old said. “That move to America just didn't happen, I think it must have been fate to go to Hibs. I have thoroughly enjoyed it. It has been a really good move for me.
“I had the opportunity to go down south to a few teams but it was under-23 football and it didn't really interest me. That's where you need your family and agent to be strong and choose the right option.
“My agent said at the time that he thought I should go to Hibs. I had my doubts, I didn't know if I really wanted to drop down a division. I had the offer there from Dundee United and another couple of Premiership teams but he said, 'You should go to Hibs, they are a big club. You'll be playing in cup competitions and really important games'. Credit goes to him because I wasn't sure. I am thankful he made me make that decision, I'll be forever grateful for that.
"I went in to see East Mains [Hibs’ training ground]. I knew it was a good facility but I was blown away for a training centre to be that good. The manager at the time, Alan Stubbs, showed me about and introduced me to all the players and there was just a really good feeling about the place. My mum and dad were sitting waiting for a cup of tea and my dad said, 'There’s something just right about this'. He's really taken a shine to the club, my whole family has. They have been made to feel really welcome. One thing Alan Stubbs said is that he would make me a better player and I feel he did that. I have been lucky this season to feel I am improving again, so all in all it has been a really good decision.”
Two years on, and McGinn and St Mirren remain intrinsically linked. His brother Stephen is now captain of the Paisley club who travel to Easter Road on Saturday still fighting for their Championship survival. This match has been on McGinn’s radar for quite some time.
“It crossed my mind the day Stephen signed for St Mirren,” he admitted. “But you just need to try to focus on yourself. It’s trophy day at Easter Road and it should be a brilliant occasion. It’s only fair from our point of view to be professional as everyone is fighting for their lives down there. We’ll be doing all we can to take the three points.”
McGinn’s future is also of interest to St Mirren who will claim a third of any future transfer fee Hibs command for one of their star players. Whether that happens this summer or not remains to be seen.
“I’ll still have the same conversation that I have at the end of every season with my agent and my family,” he said. “We’ll discuss how the season went and how things are going in general. We’ll talk about what’s best for me. But I’m still under contract for the next two seasons so unless someone tells me otherwise I’ll be a Hibs player.
“I do have ambitions at some point down the line to go and challenge myself at a higher level. I think that’s only natural. But, like the Hibs move, it would have to be the right one for me. I won’t jump two-footed into something without thinking about it. Hibs has been great for me and I realise how much I’m still developing as a player. If I did happen to go anywhere, either now or in a few years down the line, it would have to be somewhere where I could go and improve.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here