Hibs boss hails John McGinn after Scotland call-up

Alan Stubbs lauded John McGinn as 'a gem to work with' after the Hibs midfielder was called into the full Scotland squad for the first time.

John McGinn celebrates his winning goal in the League Cup semi-final

The 21-year-old has been included in an experimental 19-man pool for the friendly against Denmark on Tuesday, March 29 following an impressive maiden season at Easter Road in which he has enhanced his reputation as one of the best young prospects in the country.

Hibs head coach Stubbs, who paid an undisclosed fee to bring McGinn from St Mirren last summer, welcomed the decision by national team boss Gordon Strachan to reward a player whose career he believes is destined to continue on “an upward curve”.

“I’m delighted for John,” he said. “He’s a brilliant lad, a gem to work with. As a player, it’s probably the biggest accolade you can have, playing for your country.

“I can see why John’s been called in and I don’t think anybody should be surprised that his name is there. His performances have been very good and Gordon and his staff have obviously been very impressed by his performances this year.

“He’ll give himself the best possible opportunity to be the best he can. Whether you are a manager or a journalist you look at players and you think ‘he can play higher’. John is one of them and there is only one direction John is going to go in if he keeps doing what he is doing. It is an upward curve for John.

“As a manager, a player with those attributes is great to see. It is great from Gordon, Stuart [McCall] and Mark [McGhee] that they are giving the young guys an opportunity and that Scotland are hopefully building for the next tournament.”

McGinn has been captain of the Scotland Under-21 squad and has already accumulated more than 100 competitive starts for St Mirren and Hibs.

Meanwhile, Hibs have requested the rearrangement of their Championship match at home to Dumbarton on March 26 as a result of international call-ups. As well as McGinn being called into the full squad, top scorer Jason Cummings and on-loan Celtic midfielder Liam Henderson have been included in the Under-21 squad for European Championship qualifiers against France and Northern Ireland later this month.