John McGinn is now a Premier League star for Aston Villa and a Scotland hat-trick hero and Celtic could have had him for just £2.7m.
Alan Brazil has admitted that he is ‘gutted’ about Celtic’s failure to sign John McGinn before Scotland’s hat-trick hero joined Aston Villa in the summer of 2018, speaking to talkSPORT (14 October, 8.50am).
Once upon a time, it felt that barely a week went by without Celtic being linked with a move for a midfielder who was really making a name for himself at Hibernian.
And it wasn’t all just idle paper talk. McGinn, after sealing a bargain £2.7 million move to Villa Park, admitted to Sky Sports that he had his heart set on joining Celtic instead after 15 years as a season-ticket holder at Parkhead.
McGinn hasn’t let his disappointment shine through, however, establishing himself as a top Premier League midfielder in the claret and blue of Aston Villa with the Sun claiming that his price-tag has now soared to around £50 million.
And after watching the diminutive enforcer become the first Scotland player to score a first-half hat-trick since Lawrie Reilly in 1952 during Sunday’s 6-0 thrashing of San Marino, Brazil was left to bemoan Celtic letting a boyhood fan slip through their grasp.
“He’s top class for me. He’s busy and he runs his socks off all the time. I’m gutted cause I thought Celtic were getting him,” said Brazil, who believes McGinn would be a good fit for his former club Manchester United.
“Without a doubt (he’d suit Manchester United). McGinn would get the Old Trafford going with his energy, his enthusiasm and his ability.”
With a thunderbolt shot, a wand of a left foot, a fabulous passing range and an energy that makes the Duracell bunny look positively lethargic, it seems only a matter of time before McGinn becomes one of the most in-demand midfielders in English football.
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