Proof of LIFE

McGinn desperate to show Scotland’s finest can settle in and be an instant hit down south

AS a £3million central midfield signing for an Aston Villa team gearing up for another promotion push from the Sky Bet Championship, John McGinn naturally expected to be under strict scrutiny straight away. He also anticipated widespread suspicion, disparaging views on his football background and all-round misgivings about why he was the only outfield player Villa spent a transfer fee on this summer.

The reason why McGinn felt a certain scepticism towards him compared to the seven other arrivals recruited by Steve Bruce during the transfer window? He’s Scottish.

A young international who had played all six seasons of his burgeoning career in Scotland’s first or second tier for St Mirren and Hibernian.

‘I think you’re always fighting a losing battle when you’re Scottish,’ reveals McGinn. ‘And I don’t think that’s right. When a Scottish player goes down the road, you’re always going to get doubters.

‘You always get people saying you’re from a pub league. I think the way people look at Scottish football is wrong but, at the same time, we have to start proving it on the park and start showing it again.

‘So it was important that I went down there and proved that I could cut it at that level. Thankfully, so far, I’ve managed to do that. It’s early days, it’s a long season, but hopefully I can carry that on.’

Before a stunning debut and a hand in all three goals against Wigan began to persuade many that McGinn will cut it at least at Championship level in England, non-believers could simply have trusted Bruce.

In 2014, shortly after signing Norwich’s Robert Snodgrass to join Allan McGregor at Hull City, he bolstered his Scottish camp by plucking a young left-sided defender from Dundee United for just shy of £3m.

‘He had Snoddy, Greegsy and Andrew Robertson before, so he knows he can find somebody up the road and, hopefully, so far I’ve managed to repay his faith in Scottish players,’ stressed McGinn.

An encouraging personal start and establishing a popular profile in the eyes of the Villa fans has bought McGinn valuable time to settle.

However, that doesn’t cloud the Scotland midfielder’s view that much more improvement is required from him to survive and succeed in an arduous Championship season.

‘Everyone is strong, athletic and quick,’ he noted. ‘That’s something I’m trying to improve upon and trying to get better at. Technically — you can always improve on that.

‘I’m getting used to the league where there’s a new challenge every single weekend. So it’s demanding, but I think it suits my game.

‘I think what I bring is different to what was there at Villa. I might not have the same ability as other players, but I’ve got a hunger and desire to win and that’s important at a club like that.

‘The manager has shown faith in me to go and do what I’d been doing at Hibs. It was important to try and carry on my Hibs form wherever I was going.

‘He threw me straight in, so it’s good to know that he has confidence and trust in me. It’s good to settle in and get to know the boys and how they play, and thankfully they’ve taken to me so far.’

McGinn returned from Scotland duty to link up with the loan signings Bruce expects to provide Villa with the extra sprinkling of class for the promotion chase.

He has muscled out Irishman Conor Hourihane from the middle of the park to link up with £40m-rated Jack Grealish, hinting at a satisfying conclusion to a summer of uncertainty. Celtic’s pursuit turned into a full-blown Scottish transfer saga until Villa cut out the nonsense and tabled a bid acceptable to Hibs and instantly made McGinn feel appreciated.

‘I had a brilliant group of players at Hibs and the support were very fair with me, so they didn’t make it difficult at that time at all,’ he explained. ‘The Europa League was a great distraction. I was disappointed to see the lads go out, but they were so supportive. ‘They understood that it was a tough time but, at the same time, I was able to just go out and concentrate on my football. I actually loved that period. ‘As I was so used to playing at St Mirren and then Hibs all the time, it was really important that the next place I went, I was going to play.

‘At Villa, it’s different and a new challenge. You’re facing new players every week and people that want to get the better of you. It‘s so demanding.’

Following a Play-off final defeat to Kevin McDonald and Tom Cairney’s Fulham in May, the club was ready to do a lot more selling than recruiting and promotion prospects appeared bleak.

However, a fresh injection of investment from new owners, Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris and American businessman Wes Edens, transformed the financial landscape at Villa.

You always fight a losing battle when you are Scottish