The story of John McGinn and Celtic will never go away, especially given that he has proven to be such a success at Aston Villa.
McGinn has Celtic in his blood, so he always seemed destined to represent his boyhood club, but that train to Glasgow from Edinburgh was missed in 2018.
Instead, the former Hibernian player hopped on an express train to Birmingham, and since then, he hasn’t looked back, including captaining Villa to the Champions League, after initially joining the Midlands club when they were in England’s second tier.
Many wonder what would have happened if McGinn joined Celtic instead, because Chris Sutton feels he would still be the player he is today.
Will John McGinn ever play for Celtic in his career?
John McGinn looks on during Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur
Photo by Molly Darlington/Copa/Getty Images
Chris Sutton on John McGinn’s career at Aston Villa after Celtic interest
Not only is McGinn a key player for Aston Villa, but he has also been one of the best performers in the Premier League for several years, and a key reason why Scotland will be at the 2026 World Cup in the summer.
The Warm-Up panel were discussing who is the best Scottish player to never have played for Celtic or Rangers, and unsurprisingly, McGinn’s name popped up.
That’s when Steven Naismith, who works with McGinn at Scotland, asked ‘do you think he is the player he is now had he moved to Celtic?’
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Sutton thinks the 31-year-old would be, as he highlighted the all-action midfielder’s ‘intelligent’ play, and how he is regarded as a ‘top, top player’ in the best league in the world.
Chris Sutton: “Every Celtic fan thinks back to, I mean, come on.”
Steven Naismith: “What you could have had. Here is a question, though. Do you think McGinn is the player he is now had he moved to Celtic?”
Sutton: “It’s impossible to answer. But, yeah, I do actually. I always thought he was an intelligent player at Hibs, but he has gone down to the Premier League. You look at the success he has had at Aston Villa. The influence on the team. He’s the captain, and the way he is regarded in the Premier League as a top, top player.”
Naismith: “John McGinn is one of the best personalities in football. He’s an amazing player. Brilliant teammate.
“As Alex McLeish said, ‘do that a_s thing. Because he has a massive a_s. He leans in. It’s the quality on top of it. Some of the goals he has scored.
“His football knowledge is unbelievable. He sees things differently from a lot of other footballers. But he is a funny character, and funny at the right times. His performances back up that joking fun he has.”
Boyhood Celtic fans who could play for the Hoops in the future
The best thing for every supporter is to watch one of their own take to the field and represent their club week in and week out.
Celtic are blessed that the likes of Callum McGregor, Kieran Tierney, Anthony Ralston, James Forrest, Colby Donovan, Liam Scales and Luke McCowan do that now.
But could any boyhood Celtic fans, whether they have or haven’t represented the club before, join them any time soon?
Here is a list of some that could.
Andy Robertson
Lennon Miller
John McGinn
Ryan Christie
Archie Gray
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