McGinn opens up on missing move to USA
Former St Mirren star John McGinn admits his career could have gone down a totally different road if his move Stateside hadn’t hit the skids.
The academy star was club- less when he left Saints in the summer of 2015, with the Paisley side due at least £250,000 in compensation as a development fee from anyone willing to sign him.
With no takers immediately forthcoming, he agreed a move to Houston Dynamo in America - which would have seen the Buddies not pick up a penny for McGinn’s years in the club’s renowned youth system.
An administrative error scuppered the deal, with Hibs then swooping in to sign the combative midfielder, who has since gone on to shine for Aston Villa and Scotland.
After recently making his 100th appearance for the Villans, he revealed things could have been very different had that switch from Paisley to Texas gone through back in 2015.
“It was difficult because I was out of contract, but St Mirren were due compensation – and rightly so,” he told Villa TV.
“But, at that point ,it was £250,000 plus. I think it was more than that actually because I had been there since I was seven.
“At that point, it had come to the stage where both parties had agreed it was best for me to move on for a number of reasons, but no one would pay the compensation. I was thinking ‘what do I do?’ and I tried everything.
“I ended up over in America, where I could have gone for free to Houston Dynamo, which would’ve been massive for me because I was still really young.
“I had agreed a contract to sign, but then red tape stopped it. I don’t know if that was a sign.
“If you had told me back then I would be playing in the Premier League with Aston Villa, I wouldn’t have believed it. “It has been an amazing journey.” As well as becoming a Premier League star, McGinn has broken onto the international stage in style, bagging an incredible seven goals in 29 games so far from midfield.
He looks set to pick up his 30th cap tonight as former St Mirren defender Steve Clarke’s Scotland take on Austria at Hampden Park in their opening World Cup 2022 group qualifier.
McGinn insists his years in the Scottish top flight gave him the grounding he needed to achieve all he has in his incredible career so far.
“I think in Scottish football there was a little bit of doubt whether I could cut it both for Scotland and in the English Championship,” he said.
“At that point, coming down to Villa, it was all about showing English football what I could do.
“There was a little bit of a step up, but I was very fortunate that Scottish football is similar in style. It’s very physical, end to end, like basketball games almost.
“A lot of players, the likes of Virgil Van Dijk, Stuart Armstong, Andy Robertson, they will all tell you the same thing.
“It’s a really good standard, that’s why I bite all the time when people try and put it down. I wouldn’t be a midfielder for Aston Villa without playing in Scottish football.”