John McGinn Aston Villa
JOHN McGinn described Saints striker Che Adams as a “breath of fresh air” for Scotland,
John McGinn said: “He’s been a superb addition to the squad.”
Leicester-born Adams represented England at under-20 level, but qualifies to play for the Tartan Army due to his maternal grandparents being Scottish. Adams rejected the advances of Scotland in 2017, but did switch allegiance in March of this year, making his debut in a 2-2 draw with Austria. Discussing the addition of Adams to the squad, team-mate McGinn, who made his senior Scotland bow in 2016,
John McGinn said: “He’s been a breath of fresh air. When he came on the other day (against Czech Republic) he was outstanding. On Friday he was just a man possessed! He might be from Coventry but he looked as if he was from Castlemilk (a district in Glasgow). He was outstanding and not only that, he’s come in with a determination and a hunger to go and succeed for Scotland. And not only that, he’s a brilliant guy off the pitch, which helps massively. So he’s going to be huge for us going forward and it was an amazing performance from Che (against England).”
The 0-0 draw keeps Scotland’s hopes of qualification out of Group D alive, knowing victory over Croatia at Hampden Park on Tuesday should be enough to progress. Adams received a standing ovation from the vociferous travelling Scotland fans as he was substituted late on at Wembley having produced the type of workmanlike centre-forward display Saints fans have become accustomed to since he arrived at St Mary’s from Birmingham City in 2019. And Glaswegian McGinn is not surprised to see the Tartan Army take to Adams so quickly.
John McGinn said: “Aye, he’s a loveable guy obviously. My first dealings with him were in the Birmingham Villa derby, so I wasn’t his biggest fan! But we’ve got on really well. He’s a top guy, top player and he’s been a superb addition to the squad. So hopefully come Tuesday he can get a goal and get us through to the last 16.”
