John McGinn expects Hibs return to go from love affair to cursing and swearing with Aston Villa battle no testimonial

John McGinn has been waiting five years for the chance to say a proper farewell to Hibs fans. He’ll finally get it tomorrow - but then is aiming to ruthlessly say adios to his old club's Euro adventure too.

On an emotional return to his old stomping ground McGinn will make a point of showing his appreciation to the Easter Road faithful after three huge years teed him up for the Premier League dream he’s now living at Aston Villa. Treated as a hero for helping the club end a 114-year wait for Scottish Cup glory and following up with a Championship winning season, the ‘Super John McGinn’ moniker blossomed in the green and white corner of Edinburgh. But a hasty £2.5m exit in early August 2018 meant he never got an opportunity to thank those fans in person after his last game - a 3-0 win over Motherwell in Leith.

So come kick off time in the Conference League play-off showdown tomorrow night the Scotland hero will give every corner of the ground a wave of gratitude. But then he’ll look to stick the knife in. When the first whistle blows Villa skipper expects the sweet talk from the stands to end and the swearing and cursing to begin. McGinn, whose elder brothers Stephen and Paul followed in his footsteps to play for the club, said: “Hibs were a massive part of my life.

“The way they treated me through the three years was amazing. It's been strange to watch the club develop, it's a completely different place now, a lot of changes, boardroom-wise.

“When I was there it was a special place to play, great people. We were fortunate to be relatively successful though I still feel we under-achieved in that spell, which hurts a little bit. I never got the chance when I left to show my appreciation to the fans or anyone there.

“Neil