Aston Villa's John McGinn: I’m going back to Hibs to win, not for a warm welcome

Quite the opposite, in fact.

“I hope when the whistle goes, they are cussing and swearing at me and treating me like a normal opponent,” he smiles.

Yet it would be pointless to pretend Wednesday’s Europa Conference League play-off round first leg will be anything like a normal match for McGinn, who heads back to Easter Road for the first time as a player, in Villa’s first European fixture for 13 years.

Either side of the 90 minutes, there will be a chance for the 28-year-old to receive the kind send-off which wasn’t possible when he made his 131st and final appearance for Hibs against Motherwell five years ago this month, prior to making the £2.5million switch south of the border to Villa Park.

“We had a feeling it might be my last game but you never really know,” he recalls. “I just jogged off normally. You don’t want to be the guy who ends up doing a lap of honour every second week.”

At the time of the transfer there was talk of the two clubs meeting in a pre-season friendly.

“I was quite glad that did not happen,” McGinn, who won promotion and the Scottish Cup in three seasons in Edinburgh, now reflects.

“Obviously, I have always wanted to go back and play at Easter Road but I didn’t want it to be something which was just a token gesture.

“I’m glad it is a competitive match and both teams have earned the right to play against each other.

“Could I have envisioned this five years ago? No, because Villa were in the bottom half of the Championship and this competition, the Europa Conference League, didn’t even exist.

“It is very weird and strange but I am glad this has happened and is in front of us now.

“Hibs will be desperate to get through, we will be desperate to get through to the group stages.

“I have a lot of friends in the Hibs team and we will have a chat before the game and after the game. But when the whistle goes, it is football and we all want to achieve the same things.

“I will be doing my best for Villa to take a good result back home. I expect the fans to be no different. Maybe there will be a wee appreciation when my name’s read out. But once that is finished, their focus will be on Hibs winning.”

McGinn, never short of a witty turn of phrase, jokes how both clubs have changed staff “like Costco” in the five years since his move.

The presence of the meticulous Unai Emery at Villa guarantees they would never take Hibs lightly, regardless of the additional first-hand experience and information their captain can provide.

McGinn notes how on his walk to the room at Bodymoor Heath where this interview was conducted, he passed 10 analysts watching videos of his former club in action.

“The manager treats every team the same and Hibs will get the same respect as Everton did on Sunday,” he says.

That hasn’t stopped the inevitable barrage of questions from team-mates about what they should expect.

“I have said nice stadium, nice pitch, nice city, nice hotel but as soon as that whistle goes you may get a rude awakening if you have your foot off the gas,” says McGinn.

“I’ve given them as much information as possible but the players are excited, I think, to play at Hibs.

“Even the boys who had no affiliation to Hibs wanted this game. I think there is a bit more spice than if it was Luzern, who they beat in the previous round.

“It is exciting for everyone. Even the boys who have never played in Scotland are keen to get up there and show what they can do.”

Scorer of the goal which won promotion back to the Premier League and a key component of the team which secured Villa’s long-awaited European return, McGinn has already written himself into club history.

But as one of Scottish football’s finest exports of recent times he remains a proud patron and it is notable how he still refers to clubs in his homeland as “us” and references the “disrespect” some- times displayed toward them.

Both of McGinn’s older brothers, Stephen and Paul, have also played for Hibs and though the financial gulf to Villa and the Premier League is now vast, it is no guarantee of the latter’s success.

“It is my job to make sure the team know we are in for a game on Wednesday night,” says McGinn, who also confirmed he will be curbing any celebrations, should he score. “As soon as that whistle blows it will be frantic, frenetic, physical.

“I’ll be making the boys aware we need to respect Hibs. It is very easy for people down here to disrespect us. I take that personally. I’m sure it will be a very tough game and a difficult start for us in European football.

“Even though the financial gulf might be big, we know as players the margins are small and on the night Hibs could win. We need to turn up and make sure we are at it.”

Right though McGinn undoubtedly is, it would still represent a major shock if Villa failed to progress through the tie. Hibs assistant boss Adams Owen’s claim last weekend the Premier League club are favourites to win the whole competition might have been an attempt at mind games, yet it chimes with the aspiration levels around Bodymoor Heath.

“It is a competition we want to win,” says McGinn. “I don’t want to put us down as favourites.

“I’ve seen the comments (by Owen) and I am sure that is the respect for the quality we have in the squad.

“It is very hard for us to envisage anything past this play-off round. We want to get to the group stage and then progress as far as we can.

“We saw West Ham win it last year and what an occasion it was for the whole club.

“This club craves success. It has not had trophies for a long, long time. The Conference League certainly gives us an opportunity but first we have Hibs to get past and we don’t want to look too far ahead.”