Efe Ambrose praises John McGinn's mental strength at Hibs

Efe Ambrose has hailed the character of his Hibs team-mate John McGinn in dealing with the intense speculation surrounding his future.

Scotland midfielder McGinn has been the subject of two failed bids from Celtic as he enters the final 12 months of his contract at Easter Road.

However, McGinn shrugged aside the transfer talk to put in a man-of-the-match display against Asteras Tripolis in the Europa League second qualifying round first leg and Ambrose was left impressed by the 23-year-old’s attitude.

“It was difficult at the start for John. But this is part of football,” said Ambrose.

John McGinn

“Speculation is something you need to deal with, especially when a great team and opportunity comes in.

“I’ve been in sides where a player has been affected in this way. I’ve seen it at Celtic – and you need to be strong. John is such a good guy with a great mentality and knows his time will come.

“The most important thing for him is to keep playing and helping the team.

“He is a big player for us, a great leader, and helps to motivate the boys. So we are delighted to have him in the team.

“He needs to play and improve. The more he plays, the more people see him and the more clubs are aware of him.

“He has been doing great since coming back into the team. So I think everybody will be watching him, not just Celtic.

“He’s patient. The most important thing for John to know is that if you are patient, you get what you really deserve.

“He’s going to get what he deserves with Celtic or some other team that comes in for him. In time, he’s going to get the best.”