John McGinn will be preparing for a showdown against Celtic in the Champions League in January.
The new Champions League format threw up a mouthwatering tie between Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic and Unai Emery’s Aston Villa.
For Villa’s captain, it’s going to be extra special because it’s against his boyhood club and a team that his family supports.
McGinn has openly admitted that when Celtic visit Villa Park on January 29, his family members are probably going to want him to lose.
But at the age of 29, and at the peak of his powers, the all-action midfielder has guided Villa from the Championship to the Champions League, whilst Celtic have continued to dominate on the domestic circuit.
In 2018, with Villa in the Championship and managed by Steve Bruce, they signed the Scotland midfielder from Hibernian.
At the time, the Midlands side were in a world of financial trouble off the pitch after losing the Championship play-off final only months earlier.
Paul McGinn stated that when his brother was first working his magic in the Scottish Premiership, including scoring a brace at Parkhead in 2017, he thought that he would end up a Celtic player and how it would be ‘no risk’.
The Motherwell captain, who has played in Scotland for the majority of his career, admitted that his family thought he was ‘going to Celtic’ because they were the only ones involved.
McGinn senior shared that the agent made it clear that if ‘Villa get their transfer embargo sorted’, then they will come in for him, but they weren’t sure if that was just ‘agent’ talk, as he told Open Goal.
In the end, John made a £2.5 million move to Villa Park and the rest is history.
Why John McGinn didn’t sign for Celtic
“No, you wouldn’t have (seen John get to the level that he has),” admitted Paul McGinn. “I remember watching the games against Celtic and thinking surely they are going to take him as a no-risk (signing). He has done really well against them. This is a no risk.
“Down south with Aston Villa, they were still in the Championship at the time. I think they were mid-table, but they made a right few good signings. That American came in (Co-owner Wes Edens) and I thought he has got a right chance now, even then, every year the money you spend, to be at the top of your game for that long is unbelievable. It’s so tough. You never had seen it (McGinn’s rise). I thought he might have played in the Premier League, but been a bit part.
On if he was telling his brother to go to Celtic given that they are all a Celtic family: “Not really getting that involved,” shared Paul. “That was basically what we thought was going to happen because it was only Celtic that were in really. I think Celtic had wind of that as well. I remember the agents saying that if Villa get the transfer embargo sorted, then they are coming in. I don’t know if they thought that was maybe agent talk or something. He (my grandad) was chairman (at Celtic).”
John McGinn facing Celtic as an Aston Villa player in the Champions League
Last season, McGinn faced Hibernian in the Europa Conference League and now he is set to face a team he has supported as a kid.
Celtic have made an outstanding start to their Champions League campaign, but so have Villa after their win over Young Boys.
READ MORE: Atalanta suffer surprising result as Celtic gain hope ahead of Champions League affair
The two teams will meet on the final gameweek, so by then, everything could be decided, or for added drama, something could still be on the line.
Either way, it is going to be some atmosphere and contest at Villa Park, with both teams expected to reach the play-offs.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
