McGinn: I was ready to cross the Pond
JOHN McGINN has admitted he’s loving being a Premier League star after clocking up his 100th appearance for Aston Villa recently.
But the Scotland midfielder recalled how it could all have been so different if a move to Houston Dynamo had not collapsed in 2015 when he left St Mirren.
He joined Hibs and later caught the eye of Villa.
McGinn said: “It was a difficult one. I was out of contract but St Mirren were due training compensation and rightly so but it was £250,000-plus because I had been there since I was seven years of age.
“So, at that point, it came to the stage where both parties agreed it was best I moved on for a number of reasons but no one would pay the compensation fee. At that point, you’re thinking, ‘What do I do?’.
“You’re then hoping St Mirren agree something cheaper which wasn’t something they were keen to do. I tried something different and went over to America where I could have went for free to Houston Dynamo.
“It would have been a massive step for me at the time because I was still young. I agreed to sign and agreed the contract but red tape stopped it.
“I don’t know if that was a sign. But if you would have told me I would have been a Premier League player at Aston Villa it would have been surreal.
“It’s been an amazing journey and one I don’t want to stop here.
“In Scottish football there was doubt over whether I could still cut it in that league so, coming down to Villa, it was a sort of, ‘Let’s go show English football what I can do.’
“You just want to be happy on and off the park. I’m lucky to call this home now and I really love it.
“It’s a brilliant place to live, train and work at. Amazing facilities, a massive club that’s going one way.”