This article is part of the Guardian’s Euro 2020 Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 24 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from two countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June.
The testimony of John McGinn himself emphasises how it really could have been oh so desperately different. This is no tired football cliche. “It went into the leg seven centimetres,” McGinn said. “I went to see the surgeon who told me I was fortunate still to be alive. It was a millimetre away from the femoral artery so I would have bled out in a minute.”
The “it” to which McGinn refers was a spiked training pole, thrown by then St Mirren teammate Stephen Thompson during a session in April 2015. In what was a complete accident, McGinn’s leg just happened to get in the way. After brief legal interventions, McGinn’s exit from St Mirren was undoubtedly hastened; Hibernian cut a low six-figure deal, plus sell-on clause, to sign the midfielder that summer. It remains something of a mystery that no other club – Hibs were in Scotland’s second tier at the time – seized the opportunity. McGinn was 20 and, despite a few rough edges, had displayed enough during close to 100 first-team matches to be worthy of further development on a broader platform.
McGinn’s cult status at Easter Road – ‘Better than Zidane’ proclaimed the Hibs fans in verse – was endorsed by his role in the 2016 team which delivered the Scottish Cup for the first time in 114 years. Beyond that, though, was a style of play that appealed to Hibs supporters just as it does now to those who follow Aston Villa or Scotland. McGinn hassles and harangues. He displays endless energy and aggression that never lurches towards recklessness. We can debate the validity of a footballing outlook whereby dynamism earns more plaudits than artistry but Scottish fans adore players of McGinn’s ilk. In respect of the national team, it is also a truism that McGinn being untouched by either of the Old Firm – Celtic tried and failed to sign him from Hibs – boosts his appeal. Scotland’s fans adore the vibe McGinn brings to every game.
For a Premier League player earning tens of thousands of pounds a week, McGinn retains a working-class-boy-made-good complexion. He plays – for club and country – with an enthusiasm so often absent from the modern game. McGinn’s approach never deviates from match to match. He doesn’t hide, regardless of performance level therein.
McGinn is one of a clutch of Scotland players at the right age to gain positive international experience over a series of campaigns. He will head to the European Championship with more than 30 caps to his name; it is no exaggeration to suggest McGinn should target 100. He is 26, Scott McTominay 24, Andy Robertson 27, Kieran Tierney 24, Che Adams 24 and Ryan Christie 26; Scotland have the strong nucleus of a team who should look to build on this Euros qualification.
By his own admission, McGinn made errors in a deep midfield role when playing for Scotland that cost the team. If it seems preposterous to suggest technical shortcomings in a midfielder who operates week after week in England’s top flight, McGinn can be flawed in possession. He is at his best when he plays on impulse. Steve Clarke quickly realised McGinn had a host of attributes needed in his team. The answer lay in moving the Villa man forward, occasionally into what Clarke has branded a “support striker” role.
McGinn has repaid Clarke’s faith with goals, reaching double figures before Scotland’s Euros squad was confirmed. The pick of them, an overhead kick to snatch a draw against Austria, came just days before McGinn had a noticeably poor match in Israel but rebounded with two goals against the Faroe Islands. That he survived for the final fixture of that World Cup triple header demonstrates his position as an automatic starter; his prominence an example of how he would never dwell on an inauspicious performance. Scotland strikers have been far from prolific in recent times, as renders McGinn’s potency as extra valuable.
This is not a player who should ever be shackled or subject to unnecessary tactical detail. McGinn will press defenders with glee. He can start attacks from midfield. This recent scoring run shows him capable of hurting opponents that way. While tackling isn’t his forte, McGinn has physicality that means he cannot be brushed aside. He is adept at drawing fouls from over-zealous opponents. Alex McLeish, Clarke’s immediate predecessor, once compared McGinn’s game to that of Gareth Barry.
As he approaches the peak of his career, McGinn’s all-round play has risen in standard. “He has always remained a very level-headed boy,” added McLeish. “These are the players who keep improving.”
Six summers ago, following that freakish training ground incident, McGinn was making his first big transition. A finals appearance feels like fitting reward for subsequent progress; which should be a long way short of slowing down.
Ewan Murray writes for the Guardian.
Follow him on Twitter @mrewanmurray.
For a tactical guide on Scotland click here.
