One of the best players for Aston Villa in recent years has been John McGinn, and Steve Bruce has shared how the English club managed to beat Celtic to the signing of the midfielder.
John McGinn joined Aston Villa from Hibernian in the summer of 2018. The midfielder was 23 at the time.
Sky Sports reported at the time that Celtic were also keen on McGinn and had several bids rejected.
However, It was Villa who managed to get a deal done for the Scotland international midfielder, who has since developed into a superb player and is one of the first names on the teamsheet now.
Steve Bruce was in charge of Villa at the time, and the former Newcastle United and Sunderland manager has revealed how he managed to sign McGinn and has noted what makes him a special player.
Steve Bruce comments on Aston Villa beating Celtic to John McGinn signing
Bruce said about McGinn on talkSPORT (9:22 am, March 19, 2024): “Absolute bargain, yeah, he was.
“Do you know from the first 30 seconds that he entered the pitch for Aston Villa, he became a bit of a cult hero all of a sudden? He smashed into a challenge and drove forward the way he can, and he shot from about two minutes. He had all the ingredients of being a top top player.
“It was two million quid, but we didn’t have two million quid. So we had to stall it at the time, we had to stall it because we didn’t have two million quid.
“All along, we had to compete with Celtic, and I don’t know if you know, but John McGinn’s grandad, I think, was the chairman of Celtic, so all the stories were telling me he was going to Celtic.
“I heard that his dad played golf, so I thought I am going to get his dad and get a bit of some stalling time. We got him to The Belfry, which gave me another four or five hours to try and russle together the two million quid because we didn’t have it at the time.
“But, yeah, I am absolutely pleased for him because he has turned into a really really top player, the kid.”
My View: John McGinn is now a big player for Aston Villa
In my opinion, Aston Villa star John McGinn is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.
McGinn is 29 now and is at the top of his game. He has grown and developed during his time in England and can be proud of what he has done so far in his career.
The Scotland international is a very dynamic player who can drive the team forward, impose himself in the middle of the park, and make himself a problem for the opposition attackers.
McGinn has made 162 appearances in the Premier League so far in his career. He has scored 16 goals and given 18 assists in those games.
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