The upcoming January transfer window is set to be one full of drama and intrigue. While Scottish football doesn't witness the kind of money merry go round of other, more illustrious leagues, there's always a narrative or two throughout the window that captures the attention of the back pages and football fans across the country.

For Celtic it's a chance to plug gaps and deficiencies in what is already an elite squad of players achieving great success under Brendan Rodgers. Even in a time of great celebration, there's always progress to be made and Rodgers is looking for his team to advance to a level that will allow them to compete on the European stage for years to come.

Part of that strategy is securing the best young Scottish talent available and there's few brighter in the country right now than Hibernian midfielder John McGinn. The Scotland international has been capturing plenty of attention this season after Hibs' return to the top-flight with the likes of former Celtic heroes Chris Sutton and Alan Stubbs suggesting he'd be an excellent buy for Brendan Rodgers in the upcoming window.

However, is there room for him at Celtic and is it the best move for the player himself? While undoubtedly a step up from Hibs, a move to Celtic at this stage in McGinn's career could be a misstep that costs him dearly.

Untapped potential

The 23-year-old has had an interesting career to this point, as yet having preferred to take a slow, steady and loyal approach to his early years as a footballer.

Bursting onto the scene with St Mirren, he produced the kind of form there that might have taken his skills to the lower leagues in England, a path that so many promising young Scottish players have followed in recent years.

Instead he moved to Hibs, perhaps a surprise considering they had just been relegated to the division below his former club. While of course a bigger club, moving to an inferior division at a critical stage of his development was a curious choice.

To his credit, it was a move that has paid off massively with regular first-team football and working under managers like Alan Stubbs and Neil Lennon contributing to a significant increase in his ability. Winning Hibs' first Scottish Cup in 114 years is also a career highlight that will be rank amongst some of his best achievements regardless of what his future holds.

It's fair to say though that having played in the Scottish Championship for two seasons running, his potential is so far untapped. He hasn't really tested himself at the highest level and despite five caps for Scotland, his lack of exposure to strong teams and big games on a regular basis means he perhaps isn't learning at the rate required to reach his peak potential.

A move to a bigger club or league now seems inevitable, but it's critical it's to a team that recognise he's at his best when given responsibility and the first-team chances to show what he can do.

The wrong fit

While he's clearly a player who has a bright future and one who is undoubtedly talented, less clear is where he would fit into a Celtic midfield that is already overflowing with players who can provide a variety of styles and do it to an extremely high standard.

There's the veteran Scott Brown who looks as good as ever at 32, the Scottish duo of Stuart Armstrong and Callum McGregor who are both arguably superior than McGinn at this point in time, the foreign prospects Olivier Ntcham and Eboue Kouassi who both look like future internationalists for their country and the attacking creativity of Tom Rogic.

That's before you even consider other players who don't feature regularly in matchday squads at the Hoops like Liam Henderson, a former Hibs teammate of McGinn's who looked just as proficient at Easter Road as the 23-year-old.

McGinn simply doesn't appear to be of a level that can immediately improve the first team at Celtic Park, meaning a move to Glasgow could be frustrating for him, especially as he's always played regularly ever since his debut for St Mirren at the age of 18.

Could he improve under Brendan Rodgers to the levels required to compete in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League? There's no reason why not. However, it's a risk he doesn't need to take when moves to other clubs could provide him the platform to not just take a step up from Hibs but also play week-in, week-out.

Far from being a dream move, it could be the kind of awkward misstep that Scott Allan took in 2015 when he moved from Easter Road to Celtic after a stand-out season. Currently on loan at struggling Dundee, his career has nosedived since.

McGinn needs to ensure that wherever he ends up, it's a forward step, rather than a backwards one.

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