Aston Villa’s John McGinn hints at why he snubbed Celtic move

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Scottish Premiership champions Celtic missed out on Hibernian midfielder John McGinn to Championship outfit Aston Villa.

John McGinn was very vocal about the fact that he would only have left Hibernian for a club he felt could offer him the chance to take the next step in his career.

And after choosing Aston Villa over Celtic, it appears that the Scotland international believed that a move to England’s second tier would benefit him more than joining the side who have dominated the domestic scene for the last seven years.

Celtic had been chasing McGinn all summer and made a dramatic final attempt to lure him to Parkhead when they matched Aston Villa’s bid late in the transfer window, according to the Daily Record. But Brendan Rodgers’ side missed out and the 23-year-old has now hinted at why.

“In Scotland you can enter a comfort zone,” McGinn told the Scottish Sun.

“I felt I had already developed a reputation there and felt it was important to prove I can play elsewhere.

“I’m ambitious, which is why I chose Villa.”

There is certainly logic in McGinn’s explanation. You can hit a glass ceiling at Celtic, dominant domestically but limited in Europe. A move to England, however, gives McGinn the chance to push for the very top of the game.

He enjoyed an excellent start to life with Villa, justifying his £3 million price-tag with a Man of the Match display in the 3-2 home win against Wigan Athletic.