McGinty plotting cup upset against ex-Man Utd team-mate in Rangers tie.
The 30-year-old former Manchester United player teamed up with Paul Pogba at the Old Trafford youth ranks as Sir Alex Ferguson led the first squad.
During his time at United, when he won the FA Youth Cup, the Ayr United defender played alongside Jesse Lingard, Ravel Morrison, and Sam Johnstone.
However, when McGinty travels to Ibrox to face Rangers in the Scottish Cup, he will be looking to go one up on Tom Lawrence, who was a year younger than him in the Manchester United academy.
“I also know Tom Lawrence well because I played with him at Manchester United, so it’ll be great to play against him again,” McGinty said before of Saturday’s meeting.
“He was always a good player. He was the year below me. He wasn’t in that one {Youth Final].
“He’s been injured for a while, I know him quite well, so it’ll be good to go up against him.”
McGinty began his career with Charlton for three years before joining Manchester United at the age of fifteen.
“Moving up there was huge. My entire family traveled with me, and I spent four years up there.
“I played alongside some of the top players. Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingaard, Ravel Morrison, Will Keane, and Ryan Tunnicliffe. Some are household names, while others have gone on to achieve great success.
“I’m still speaking with goalkeeper Sam Johnson, and we’re getting close.
“It was great. It was a fantastic start for me in my football career, and I believe I learned a lot.
“I won the FA Youth Cup.”The Final at Bramall Lane drew the highest attendance of the season. I believe the number is 33,000.
“I believe I was 17, and to be in that at that age was incredible. They then performed in front of 40,000 people at Old Trafford.
“It was quite special. Ferguson was at the stadium [when we won], and the photographs and memories will stay with me forever. Fantastic.
McGinty departed Old Trafford in 2013 to join Sheffield United, but admits he may have left too soon, with Ferguson’s replacement David Moyes giving young players opportunity. But the defender is determined to fulfill his objective of playing in the Scottish Premiership.
“They have done great in the game and fair play,” said McGinty of his star-studded team-mate list. “Maybe I left a year too early as I left just when [Sir Alex] Ferguson left and the new manager came in and probably gave the young ones a little bit more of a chance.
“So I probably missed the boat. Your Sam Johnston, Michael Keane, and Pogba have had successful careers and earned a lot of money.
“But look, I’ve been in the game for a long time. I played a lot of games, making nearly 400 appearances.
“So far, I’m delighted with my career, and I’m only 30 years old.
“So I’ll keep pushing on, and my goal is to play in the Scottish Premiership.
“I want to attempt to go up there. I arrived to Scotland six years ago with the intention of eventually getting there.
McGinty and his present squadmates will be led to Ibrox by Scott Brown, who has previously won against Rangers as Celtic captain.
But the stopper insists Brown hasn’t brought up his experiences against Rangers, instead focusing on a game plan to cause a Scottish Cup upset.
“He’s never brought it up,” McGinty remarked of Brown’s Ibrox record or his six Scottish Cup titles.”He certainly did quite well in the tournament, and he and Whitts have extensive expertise in the event.
“There aren’t many better people to lead us into this game, so he’ll give us confidence and a solid gameplan to try and get at them, test them, and make it a really good game.
“This is wonderful. A fantastic moment, and the lads are ecstatic about it.”
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