Hibs move was the biggest of my career and I feel lucky to be here, says Paul McGinn

Paul McGinn was unveiled during a Hibs press conference at the training centre on January 31. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

He may not have kicked a ball for 10 weeks, but Paul McGinn admits he is still on a high after joining Hibs before the shutdown.

The defender signed an 18 month contract with the Easter Road club after making the move from St Mirren during the January transfer window.

He is the second McGinn to make the switch from Paisley, following in the footsteps of younger brother John, who made the same move in the summer of 2015, becoming a Scottish Cup hero before departing Easter Road in a £2.75m transfer to Aston Villa two years ago.

The older sibling was just seven matches into his Hibs career - and earning plaudits for his performances - when he was stopped in his tracks, with the Premiership initially suspended on March 13 before being formally concluded this week.

But the coronavirus crisis has failed to put a dampener on his dream move.

"It's probably the biggest move I've made in my career," McGinn said. "Even with all that's been happening it's been a very good time for me, and I feel lucky I got the move.

"With John being here for three years I knew what I was coming into. It's a massive club and the day they had when they won the cup just opens your eyes to how big it can really be.

"If you're successful here it could really become a massive club. Hopefully we can get it back to those days."

McGinn is honest enough to admit he may not have got his Easter Road chance had it not been for an injury suffered by Jason Naismith, the right-back who had been on loan from Peterborough United, on top of captain David Gray's fitness issues.

However, it is a chance he has grabbed with both arms, impressing fans with his displays at both right-back and centre-half, a versatility that was a deal clincher for Hibs boss Jack Ross.

"I feel as if I've played well for quite a while now, and when your confidence is high the games are a lot easier to play,” McGinn said.

“It was probably attractive for Hibs that I could play several positions. I think that was part of why the manager pushed because he knew I could do that. I even played left back for St Mirren against Kilmarnock last year.

"It’s helped that I started well. If you have a dodgy first couple of games and fans are on your back it becomes tough, but I was fortunate I was able to play well early doors and that helped things. Hopefully when football comes back I can kick on even more.

"I was lucky in terms of a few boys that were struggling which meant I was able to come in and start playing straight away. Dave was struggling with match fitness and the whole reason the move happened was because Naisy got that bad injury.

"It helped that there was no settling in period. The move happened on the Friday, then I was on the bench and on the pitch the next day. It helped that I was in straight away and no messing about."

With his contract due to expire next summer, McGinn knows that the new season, in whatever form it may take, will be an important one for him in terms of nailing down a new deal, particularly amid the financial implications of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Everyone that's at a big club is constantly having to be at their best day in, day out and proving they deserve to be there," he said.

"I imagine, with the climate we're going to be in, that you're going to have to do so even more, with finances across the board going to be tight. I'll be in the same boat as most I would've thought."