Did getting 'speared' through the leg in a freak training ground accident inadvertently make John McGinn's career?

On the latest episode of the Daily Mail's Whistleblowers podcast, host Gordon Smart names John McGinn as the Premier League's most underrated player – and recounts a freak injury he sustained in a training ground prank gone wrong that inadvertently shaped his career.

In 2015, a 20-year-old McGinn was a regular starter for St. Mirren in Scotland's top division, having broken into the first team at 17. The athletic midfielder had already won the Scottish League Cup in 2013 and was attracting interest from several English clubs.

However, in the 14/15 season, St. Mirren and McGinn's form began to dip, with the club facing a relegation battle. The future Scotland international would later admit that rumoured interest from the Premier League was distracting him and affecting his performances.

With St. Mirren gearing up for the final fixtures of the season to salvage their status in the top flight, McGinn would suddenly find himself ruled out after club captain Steven Thompson threw a spiked training pole that speared him in his thigh.

Presenter Gordon Smart told the podcast: 'When he was at St. Mirren, captain Steven Thompson threw one of the training poles - it went through John McGinn's thigh like a javelin.

'They thought at the time it might have ended his career. The insurance implications for St. Mirren were so bad, they had to let him go. That's how he ended up at Hibernian. Steven Thompson is still so ashamed about it.'

Reportedly, Thompson and McGinn were taking part in a dribbling drill where players had to move between two poles sticking in the ground, simulating jinking between opponent players.

During the drill, McGinn had dispossessed Thompson. As a joke, Thompson removed one of the poles from the ground and threw it in the direction of the midfielder, who was moving away from his teammate.

Yet, just as Thompson threw the pole, McGinn executed a Cruyff turn and it hit him in the thigh.

The incident proved catastrophic for both player and club. McGinn's transfer prospects dimmed during his recovery, while St. Mirren tumbled into relegation and were forced to part ways with their prized asset.

After a brief stint training with MLS side Houston Dynamo, McGinn would join second division side Hibernian in the summer for a measley 'development fee' - a far cry from what St. Mirren could have commanded if the Premier League had come knocking.

However, it was at Hibs that McGinn would turn his form around. Across three seasons, the midfielder would guide the team to promotion back to the Scottish Premiership and a Scottish Cup triumph in 2016, ending a 114 year trophy drought.

He was also nominated for Scotland's player of the year in 2018.

'I remember when he played for us, you always had a feeling, even when we were behind, that we would escape with something', Hibs fan Smart said.

'He had this ability to lift the team - a never give up attitude. He could grab a game by the scruff of the neck and turn things around, just with a little bit of that grit and determination.'

In 2018, McGinn would swap Scottish football for the English game, joining Aston Villa. He was part of the team that won promotion to the Premier League in his first season and, as captain, led them back into the Champions League in 2024 for the first time in over 40 years.

He also played a pivotal role in the Scotland team that competed in Euro 2024 and recently qualified for the 2026 World Cup.

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