Why John McGinn decided to choose Aston Villa over Celtic | OneFootball

John McGinn was desperate to join Celtic in the summer of 2018 but Aston Villa made him a promise that Brendan Rodgers and the Hoops just couldn’t match.

It was a certainty that McGinn had outgrown Hibernian at that point and Villa manager Steve Bruce was able to offer him guaranteed time on the pitch – something Celtic were not able to do.

“There was always going to be tinges of regret wherever I ended up,” he told the BBC Scottish football podcast.

“It was important to weigh up everything and not just go with my heart because I had basically made up my mind I wanted to join Celtic.

“But I also had to weigh up in my mind how strong Celtic’s midfield had been for a long time.

“I remember speaking to Brendan Rodgers and he said the important thing I would take from it was I would play games, but Steve Bruce said I would play every game.

“I was used to playing week in week out at Hibs and it was so important to me that that carried on. A lot was made of it but I have spoken to Peter Lawwell since and I have huge respect for how he operates.”

Of course, McGinn has since become a star in the Premier League and was previously rumoured with an outrageous £50m move to Manchester United in the January window.