Danny Lennon still remembers the first time he laid eyes on a 17-year-old John McGinn, a skinny teenager who simply could not be kept out of the St Mirren first team.
The former Buddies manager handed McGinn his senior debut back in 2012, setting in motion a career that has since reached extraordinary heights.
Lennon recalls that unlike most youngsters brought into the first-team environment, McGinn never once had to be sent back to the academy to prove himself.
“After John came over to the first-team, he never went back,” Lennon told Record Sport, highlighting just how naturally the young midfielder adapted to senior football.
Lennon painted a vivid picture of the reaction from established players when the slight teenager first arrived, saying teammates like Steven Thompson and Gary Teale might have thought, “Who is this wee scrawny guy that looks like a meatball?”
Despite that initial impression, McGinn quickly won over the dressing room with his attitude and ability, earning his place on merit rather than expectation.
“John was always a lad who knew how to train and play football properly,” Lennon added, crediting the player’s professionalism from an unusually young age.
From those early days in Paisley, McGinn went on to help St Mirren claim League Cup glory in 2013 before later contributing to Hibernian ending a 114-year Scottish Cup drought.
His move south in 2018 brought further success, with McGinn helping Aston Villa win promotion to the Premier League, and the 31-year-old has since added a Europa League winners medal under manager Unai Emery.
Now Scotland’s midfield talisman is preparing for the World Cup, though questions have emerged over his place in Steve Clarke’s starting lineup following a warm-up win over Bolivia in which McGinn came off the bench.
Clarke’s side scored four goals against Bolivia, with the performance prompting some pundits to speculate whether the coach might retain the same lineup that impressed for 45 minutes in New Jersey.
Lennon, however, is having none of it, insisting the Aston Villa midfielder is simply too important to leave out of the opening match against Haiti in Boston.
“I’ll bet my bottom dollar that John McGinn will be in that starting lineup in Boston,” Lennon said flatly, leaving little room for doubt about his conviction.
The former manager acknowledged that McGinn has had an exceptionally demanding season, playing considerably more matches than many of his international teammates due to Villa’s extended European campaign.
Lennon argued that Clarke’s decision to rest McGinn against Bolivia was a tactical calculation rather than a signal of any change in the player’s standing within the squad.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that Steve Clarke used that Bolivia game as an opportunity to try out a few other options,” he said, pointing to the coach’s need to assess backup combinations.
Lennon identified three players as the absolute cornerstone of Clarke’s World Cup plans, stating that McGinn, Scott McTominay, and Andy Robertson are “the stick-on starters” for him.
“Steve’s team is built round about the likes of John McGinn, Scott McTominay and Andy Robertson,” Lennon said, describing the trio as the essential ingredients Scotland cannot go without.
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