Scotland: John McGinn on Lennon Miller’s claim of being the best
“I remember Charlie Adam having an interview on my first day of Stoke training ground to ask why the Scottish champions were called, which didn’t help at the time,” McKinn recalled.
“I don’t think he’s a personal or personal goal. It’s just that I’m a little nervous and star, it’s a disaster.
“So, on my first lunch at Mar Hall, all the experienced boys were right to me, for example, ‘You shouldn’t be on the team’.
“My meeting wasn’t good after 30 minutes. It was disturbing. Shaun Maloney made me feel so small that I threw me out and I remember going back to my room and thinking about myself, ‘I can’t compete at this level, they’re so good’.
“But as the meeting goes on, you get more experience, you become more comfortable and start expressing more.”
McKin recalls that Adam wasn’t the only one who thought the second-tier player shouldn’t play for Scotland.
“I will always be grateful to Gordon Strachan for giving me this opportunity, who made his debut that week,” he said.
“It was a lot of pressure on me, I felt a little stressed, but I remember the first game next to Broony (Scott Brown). During the game, the smart little Nuggets, the support before the game, you started to feel at home.”
McGinn played a full 90 minutes in a 1-0 friendly against Denmark, was named the man and won 73 blocks.
Now he looks forward to playing with his brother Paul at Fir Park and another 18-year-old squad debut – the center of Midlothian striker James Wilson.
“They aren’t raising numbers here,” McKinn added.
“If they end up being better than the people here, they take our place here. He definitely has the ability to do that, so does James.”
