Vital spark John has found his ideal home at Villa, says Grant
CELTIC John McGinn was right to join Aston Villa instead of Celtic – and Scotland
AS a passionate lifelong Celtic supporter as well as a former player and coach, Peter Grant would have liked nothing more than to see John McGinn sign for his beloved Parkhead club this summer.
Grant has worked with McGinn in the Scotland set-up since being appointed assistant to manager Alex McLeish back in March and realised early on that the considerable hype surrounding the midfielder was more than justified.
He knows the 23-year-old’s ability, athleticism, physicality and sheer will to win would have been invaluable to the Glasgow outfit both domestically and in Europe in the 2018/19 campaign and in seasons to come had he joined them.
However, the one-time Norwich City, Reading and Bournemouth ball winner still believes the ex-St Mirren and Hibernian man has made exactly the right decision moving to English Championship club Aston Villa instead.
Grant feels it is important to McGinn’s continued development that he plays competitive football on a weekly basis and with Scott Brown and Olivier Ntcham both firmly established in Brendan Rodgers’ team there was no guarantee of that at Celtic.
But the nine-times capped player has featured regularly for Steve Bruce in the second tier down south since completing a transfer to Villa Park at the beginning of this month and has made an immediate impact.
His compatriot feels the country, who take on Belgium and Albania at Hampden next month, can only reap the rewards.
“I was at Ipswich last week and the Villa fans were chanting John McGinn’s name,” said Grant. “It’s great for us. He’s been a bit hit for them right away. It doesn’t matter if a club has paid £10m or whatever, you need to go in and earn your stripes once you are in the door and he has done that.
“Perhaps John was thinking he needed to go to keep playing every week. I have always said to players you want to play, 100 per cent. Your career is so short. People can have money, but, let me tell you, the greatest frustration for a player is going home after a Saturday or midweek game and you have still got the suit on and haven’t played.
“John has gone to Villa and the fans have really taken to him. It looks to me like he has made the right decision. He is at a massive club with huge expectations. It’s completely different to what he was used to at Hibs. It’s how he handles it. Aston Villa are the Man United of that division. They are expected to win most weeks and to win the league.”
Grant, though, is another who feels it is unfair to expect McGinn to fill the considerable void left by Scott Brown, who retired from international football in February, in the Scotland side.
“They are different types of players,” he said. “He’s more of a throwback to my days, he’s an old fashioned midfielder. He has the energy to play further up the pitch and cause problems for the opposition.
“But in terms of personality, he could be that kind of player for us. He has that in his locker. He is one of these guys who generates enthusiasm in the group, he gives the crowd a spark, he is in