Aston Villa made a guarantee to John McGinn that Celtic couldn't match

Aston Villa beat Celtic to the key signing of John McGinn in the summer of 2018 - and what a bargain the Scottish international has proven to be

Steve Bruce played a significant role in convincing John McGinn that he ought to opt for Aston Villa over Celtic in the summer of 2018.

In what was a difficult summer for Villa, who were dealing with the fall-out of missing out on promotion, McGinn’s arrival and ability to hit the ground running in the Championship was a shining light.

It wasn’t a straightforward call for the Scottish international to make, though; always likely to leave Hibernian that summer, his destination was far from decided.

Villa, pushing for a return to the top flight at the third attempt, were a big pull, but an opportunity with SPL champions Celtic under Brendan Rodgers would have been a temptation for any Scottish footballer.

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Ultimately, having spoken to both Bruce and Rodgers, McGinn decided that a venture to England interested him more, and crucially Villa and Bruce were willing to guarantee him regular first-team football.

It’s been a move that ultimately paid off as he helped the club win the play-offs last term.

“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.”