John McGinn has been told he’s Manchester United quality – by the boss who signed him for a bargain.
The Aston Villa midfielder is a £50million-rated buy and being monitored by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
But ex-Villa boss Steve Bruce has revealed how he lured McGinn to the Midlands from Hibs in 2018 for £2m thanks to some rounds of golf at a former Ryder Cup venue.
He said: “We nearly didn’t sign him because we couldn’t afford £2m. But we whipped him away from Celtic just at the right time. I always knew he’d be very good but he’s surpassed expectations.
“How we kept him away from Celtic I don’t know because his grandfather was the chairman.
“It took a couple of games of golf at The Belfry with his dad until we could muster the money together. I am delighted for the kid because he is a smashing lad.”
Bruce rates him as one of his best cut-price signings. High praise indeed given he landed Liverpool’s Andy Robertson for £2.85m at Hull.
Bruce said: “He has to be one of my best-ever signings because he has a determination to do well.
“It took him a minute to win over the supporters at Villa when I was manager because he crashed into a tackle, sprayed a 50-yard pass and had a shot in his first few minutes.”
Villa say it would take an eye- watering sum to lure him away mid-season but Bruce added: “Man United? From what he has done in 12 months, he can only improve. He is that level, yeah.”
