Neil Lennon desperately wants to keep John McGinn at Hibernian – but he knows he faces a challenge with Celtic circling.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers did little to dampen the speculation when he lavished praise on Hibernian midfielder John McGinn after February’s Scottish Cup Edinburgh derby clash against Hearts, the Scottish Sun reports.
Lauding his work-rate and describing the 22-year-old as ‘the type of player you love as a manager’, it’s little surprise that the Scottish Champions are now expected to make a £1.5 million bid for his services, as reported by the Daily Record.
Named the Championship’s Player of the Season as Hibernian cruised to promotion, McGinn certainly has the intelligence and potential to be a useful member to Rodgers’ squad – even if the multitude of midfield options means he may have to wait for a first-team chance.
And although Hibs boss Neil Lennon is determined to keep his prized asset at Easter Road, the Northern Irishman admits the club could be powerless to prevent McGinn from continuing his development elsewhere.
“He is a brilliant player,” the former Bhoys manager told BT Sports. “He is only 22 and he has done a lot in his career already. Obviously, I would be very unwilling to sell, but sometimes you cannot stand in the way of progress.
“If Celtic do or if anyone else comes in with a bid then it is obviously something we have to think about.”
Lennon has set Hibernian an ambitious target of finishing in the top six in their first season back in the big time after three years away. Yet, their challenge would certainly be a lot more difficult without McGinn, who contributed five goals and 10 assists in Hibs’ title winning season, pulling the strings in the midfield.
The Glasgow-born starlet was rewarded for a fine season with a second and third Scotland cap and it appears that the next logical step is to return to his home city with Celtic this summer.
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