John McGinn turned down the chance to play for his boyhood heroes this summer when both Aston Villa and Celtic came calling.

With the bhoys looking to get a the midfielder on a deal they lost ground to Aston Villa very quickly when the English side came calling.

Once Villa had a bid accepted by Hibernian It was only then that the Scottish champions matched the deal.

However, by that time, McGinn had already had a Villa medical and was close to agreeing terms.

The Scot had a conversation with Brendan Rodgers over the phone but his mind was already made up.

It was a move that caused a lot of hostility in the Celtic camp with many believing Peter Lawwell had missed out on the player needlessly.

Many fans believed the money offered to John was a deciding factor in choosing not to sign for his boyhood heroes but John refutes this and tells fans the real reason why he has gone to Villa.

Speaking to the Herald the midfielder seemed to imply it was more to do with first team football.

“I was so used to playing at St Mirren and then Hibs all the time, so it was really important that the next place I was going I was going to play,” he said.

“Thankfully, the manager so far has shown faith in me to go and play.”

It was no secret that John wasn’t guaranteed to get straight into this Celtic side. With Celtic rich in midfielders it could have taken the player a bit more time than perhaps it has at Villa.

It’s clear to see that Villa also made the player feel like he was wanted more. With Celtic refusing to get the deal done all summer, as soon as Villa had the money to bring him in, they didn’t hesitate.

Good luck to him.