Hibs hero names one Scotland star who could have been Euro difference-maker as he delivers post-mortem
The Aston Villa midfielder has dissected Scotland’s latest major tournament heartbreak
John McGinn has had time to sit back and reflect on his summer of heartache. Not only was he part of Scotland’s ill-fated Euro 2024 squad that suffered yet more group stage agony, he also missed out on a European final with club side Aston Villa.
It has been a lot for the 29-year-old midfielder to soak in in a relatively short period of time. But the former Hibs star is ever the optimist and is already looking to the future. McGinn joined back up with his international team mates on Sunday night ahead of the Scots’ kick-starting their first Nations League campaign as a top tier nation.
Poland are the visitors to Hampden Park on Thursday night and with a number of fresh faces have been included in Steve Clarke’s latest squad, including Ryan Gauld and the returning Ben Doak. And McGinn admits ex-Celtic academy starlet Doak is one player he can’t wait to play alongside, with the Liverpool attacker back in the fold after seeing his Euro dreams shattered by injury earlier this summer, which forced him to withdraw from the squad.
McGinn is adamant Doak has already brought a freshness to the group and is someone that the Tartan Army should be really excited about seeing on the big stage. “Yes, not just his ability, his character,” McGinn said when asked what the Scotland under-21 international can bring to the squad going forward. “He cheered me up last night. There was only five or six of us that arrived because a lot of the boys were travelling and played yesterday. We were touching on it and he said, ‘if I stayed fit it might have been different.’ That's just his character and it's brilliant.
“He's got a lot of confidence, he's a good laugh and he's fitted in well. He's excited to play some games at Middlesbrough and I think he's ready to contribute for us. Everyone's aware of his ability and he's certainly something different to what we've got. Hopefully we can see that on Thursday.
“Even in training, he's so explosive. Sheer pace, power, strength. It's certainly something we've probably been missing over the past couple of seasons. He's definitely going to bring something different there and hopefully we can see. He'll definitely get supporters off their seats. “Not only Ben, but all the other injured lads (could have made a difference at the Euros). They certainly could have helped. We're not a massive country. We've not got endless amounts of top players to choose from, but we certainly missed all the injured lads and Ben was one of them.”
McGinn was involved in both legs of Villa’s Europa Conference League semi-final defeat to Olympiakos in the days leading up to the tournament and feels the relevant football authorities need to address such a hectic fixture schedule. Asked if fatigue was a possible factor for those who had played 50-plus games throughout the campaign, he replied: “Possibly. I think a lot of players in the tournament, surprisingly, struggled. I'm not meaning just Scotland, a lot of players. But it's easy to say now and look for excuses. Sometimes you've just got to take it on the chin, be responsible and realise that it just didn't go to plan.
“I did think about it in the weeks after, I thought ‘I was knackered there’. But then when you look back I couldn't use that as an excuse, I had more energy and enthusiasm and adrenaline for it.It's something these days that I've got to try and get used to. This season could potentially be a 60-plus match season again. So it's something that I've got my eye on. Maybe I need to do certain things differently. Next summer, when the Scotland games come around, hopefully it'll be a bit fresher in the mind. But it's hard to get the balance right.
“When I first started playing the European games, I was like, ‘what's everyone moaning about?’ I'm used to being mid-table, not playing for anything. I remember Gordon Strachan always used to say, ‘you don't want to be that guy in March and April, with his feet up, nothing to play for’. I always had that in the back of my head. I remember speaking to some of the (Manchester) City lads over the summer and their schedule is just ridiculous.
“As much as we're all living our dreams growing up, you want to play in European competitions, play for your country, it is getting a bit mad. It's certainly something they've got to look at. I think Ryan Porteous had only five or six days off in the summer. In any walk of life, it's just not fair. As much as we love playing football, the easy answer is,’well, you're earning a fortune to kick a ball about’. But you need to stay fresh somehow. They've got to look at it and try and give us more of a break in the summer.”