John McGinn

John McGinn (born 18 October 1994) is a Scottish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Aston Villa, whom he captains, and the Scotland national team. McGinn previously played for St Mirren and Hibernian, and also represented Scotland at the under-19 and under-21 levels. He made his full international debut in March 2016.

Club career St Mirren McGinn started his career as a youth player at St Mirren playing for the club's Ralston Academy. He broke into the first team in pre-season of the 2012–13 season, representing the club against English opposition Carlisle United and Accrington Stanley. In the same summer he also helped the under-20 side to victory in Kilbirnie Ladeside pre-season tournament, picking up joint player of the tournament with Jack Smith. McGinn made his competitive début against SPL champions Celtic in a 5–0 defeat, coming off the bench as a 78th-minute substitute.

On 29 November 2012, McGinn signed a new three-year contract, keeping him at St Mirren Park until summer 2015. McGinn played the first 81 minutes of the 2013 Scottish League Cup Final, as St Mirren won the League Cup by winning 3–2 against Hearts.

In April 2015, McGinn was "speared" by St Mirren club captain Steven Thompson during a training session prank gone wrong. The resulting injury meant that McGinn missed the remainder of the season, and in turn took legal action against the club.