PARKHEAD INTEREST ‘RATTLED McGINN’
Lennon admits star has had head turned after rejecting second offer
HIBS head coach Neil Lennon concedes that the uncertainty regarding the future of John McGinn is ‘unsettling’ for the player after Celtic saw a second bid for the Scotland internationalist rejected.
Lennon confirmed that an offer had been rebuffed yesterday afternoon and indicated that the onus was now on the Scott ish champions to meet th e valuation that Easter Road chiefs have placed on their prize asset. Although the Northern Irishman is honest enough to acknowledge that the furore would effect any player, Lennon fully intends to field McGinn against NSI Runavik when Hibs embark on their Europa League campaign at Easter Road this evening. Indeed, he reckons getting out on the grass will be the best thing for
the combative midfielder amid the transfer circus.
“Of course it is unsettling for the player,” said Lennon. “This is football, and you can’t stop progress, but all the speculation is not an easy thing for him to deal with.
“We just need to manage him as best we can until it’s resolved one way or the other.
“The best thing for him is to play. I’ve seen no ill-effects in his play. He was excellent on Sunday [against Blackburn] and played well at Linlithgow. He has a bit of a dead leg but trained well on Wednesday and is available for Runavik.
“You would need to ask Celtic if it’s inevitable that John will go. We’ve had two bids in, which have not been accepted by the club. There’s been communication between the clubs and I think Celtic are aware of what we value John at – they haven’t met that.”
There have been suggestions that Scott Allan, who excelled on loan at Easter Road last season in his second spell at the club, could be used as a makeweight in the deal. However, the playmaker was on the bench for the Hoops when they face Alashkert on Tuesday night.
Lennon added, bluntly: “Scott Allan hasn’t been mentioned in the talks.”
Lennon, meanwhile, could hand a competitive debut to Stevie Mallan this evening following his £175,000 capture from Barnsley.
Contrary to suggestions that he could be a ready-made replacement for McGinn, the Hibs gaffer is adamant he is the successor to another Scotland internationalist who has already departed Easter Road this summer.
“He is not a replacement for John. He is a player much more in the mould of [Dylan] McGeouch,” added Lennon. “It was obviously a blow to lose Dylan, but I knew Stevie could come in and really add to our midfield.”
Like McGeouch, Lennon is hopeful Mallan can use his spell at Hibs to kickstart his career following a miserable stint at Oakwell that saw him restricted to just nine appearances last season.
“It is easy to say now in hindsight that Stevie went down south when he was too young,” continued Lennon. “But, when a chance like that comes along, you’re always going to take it.
“Sometimes, there can be things going on behind the scenes and the club might not quite be how it seems. But it hasn’t affected his confidence. He made it clear he wanted to come here.”