John McGinn in Hibs celebration vow as Aston Villa captain warns teammates he'll take Scottish disrespect personally

John McGinn has vowed not to celebrate if he scores against Hibs on Wednesday out of respect. And he’s warned his team mates to respect his old side too - because he will take it personally if they don’t.

The Aston Villa captain is set for an emotional return to Easter Road for tomorrow's Battle of Britain showdown and says there’s no chance of Unai Emery’s star-studded squad taking Hibs lightly. The Premier League giants have a budget more than 10 times that of Lee Johnson and spent over £82n on two players alone - Moussa Diaby and Pau Torres - this summer. The Villans have ambitions of going all the way and winning the Conference League just like West Ham last season.

But while McGinn can’t wait to show his appreciation to the Hibees faithful, he won’t allow sentiment or any contempt from his team mates to shatter his Euro dream. He said: “It’s my job to let the team know they will be in for a game as soon as that whistle blows. It’ll be frantic, frenetic, physical. I’ll be making the boys aware that we need to respect Hibs fully.

“It’s very easy for people down here to disrespect Scottish football and I take that personally. I’m sure it will be a tough game and a very difficult start for us in European football."

McGinn scored as Villa thrashed Everton 4-0 on Sunday and celebrated with his trademark goggle routine. But ahead of the play-off showdown with Hibs he said: “Out of respect I'd curb any celebrations if I score. That's not to say I won't be doing my utmost to get a goal and do my best for my current employer.

"But I've got a lot of respect for the way I was treated in my three years at Hibs and I certainly think that would take precedence over doing a knee-slide or anything disrespectful."

McGinn watched both