NO CONTEST? NO BRAINER!
It’s time for Rodgers to bring in McGinn and make him the natural successor to Broony
BRENDAN RODGERS said there was no contest between Scott Brown and John McGinn.
Well as far as I’m concerned there’s been no contest between the Hibs man and the rest of the Premiership midfielders when it comes to who has been the most impressive behind the Celtic captain this season.
That’s why I reckon this summer is the time for Rodgers to bring the two of them together.
When Rodgers made his statement about Brown and McGinn following a 2-2 draw between his team and Neil Lennon’s earlier in the season he was quite right to point out his skipper was exceptional.
While acknowledging McGinn was a “good player” with “good drive and good energy,” the Celtic boss pointed out Brown had shown it in the Champions League.
Rodgers opined that McGinn had a long way to go before he reached those heights and again he was right.
But there can’t be any doubting the Easter Road youngster is getting there. His performance for Scotland in midweek against Hungary proved he’s capable of going up the levels.
No one in the Scottish game right now has the attitude, power, application and authority to go with the ability Brown possesses. But McGinn is the closest thing to it.
I know my old team-mate Lennon will want to throttle me for suggesting Celtic should be stepping in to take his best player but he knows the script.
He said himself this week there’s a business side to it and the player is going into the last year of his deal. Deep down he’ll know McGinn is ready for the step up.
There are going to be clubs in England keeping an eye on him because at 23 there is so much more untapped potential in there and another 10 years at the top level open to the player.
Celtic should be slamming those doors shut. Hibs want top dollar. So they should. Lennon has mentioned £5million. In the current climate that’s a snip.
McGinn comes from a Celtic background and I’m sure he would disregard any offers to go down south if the chance came to move to Parkhead.
Watching him slot into Brown’s role for Scotland against Hungary just convinced me even more. It wasn’t just the fact he handled the occasion, the opposition and his performance on the night. It was that his style and strengths perfectly complemented the two beside him in the middle of the park – who just happened to be Celtic players Stuart Armstrong and Callum McGregor.
The blend was just the same. Armstrong has the running power, McGregor has the guile. Usually Brown is the man who completes the balance with his strength, his closing down, his reading of the game and his authority behind those other two.
McGinn did the job with the same type of aplomb in midweek. It was almost like a dress rehearsal for what may lie ahead.
He knows the league, he knows the club, he knows what is required and Celtic can afford it. Their bank vault is full of Champions League cash.
Brown can’t go on forever, although he does have a couple of strong years left in him if he can stay fit.
McGinn would be learning from the best if he goes to Celtic and, in any case, with Armstrong not yet tied to an extended contract he might end up playing alongside the skipper as opposed to replacing him.
Outside of Brown, he’s been the best and most influential player in the Premiership this season. Lennon has built a cracking team at Easter Road and McGinn is the heartbeat of it.
Given his age, he has so much more to bring to the table. He is only going to get better and that’s the exciting part. I’m not going to say Rodgers can draw untold improvement out of him because that would be unfair on Lennon.
But if McGinn was training and working alongside Brown every day, what better education could he have?
It would be like grooming the successor while getting a smashing player for the time being into the bargain.
His performance against Hungary proved he’s capable of going up the levels