McGinn not ready to hand over free-kick duties to Maddison

James Maddison crashed in a terrific free-kick in the last minute of Sunday's win over Rangers. Picture: PA

On-loan Norwich midfielder Maddison swept a sensational stoppage-time strike past Gers keeper Wes Foderingham last Sunday to seal a memorable 2-1 win.

Click here for the latest results, fixtures and stats>>>

However, the 19-year-old admitted afterwards he would have faced a battle to grab the ball had usual taker McGinn still been on the pitch.

And McGinn is still not ready to relinquish the dead-ball responsibilities even after seeing what his team-mate is capable of.

The Northern Ireland frontman said: “Sunday was a great win for us and the icing on the cake was Madders’ goal at the end.

“It was a great bit of magic from him. For him to step up and do that on such a big occasion was just sensational.

“But if we get a free-kick on Saturday I am not sure who will take it. We will have a chat to see who feels more comfortable over the ball.”

Derek McInnes’ men have moved up to second in the Ladbrokes Premiership following their Gers triumph and will look to cement that place by beating Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Sunday.

And former Celtic winger McGinn believes the Dons squad now have the strength in depth they have lacked in recent seasons, when their attempts to chase down champions Celtic have stumbled over the final stretch.

He said: “Since I have come through the door at Pittodrie the team has improved each season.

“The players the manager has brought in this summer are all very good players and I feel this is the strongest squad we have had.

“If you look at the bench there are a lot of good players waiting to come on. It is good for the manager to have these options when he comes to choosing his best XI for a Saturday.

“Two weeks ago you would have looked at the table and said it was not a great start but after the week we have had with the two league wins and getting to the Betfred Cup semi-final, things look a bit different now. It has been a great week for the club and we want to kick on now.”

McGinn’s contract expires at the end of the season but the 29-year-old is in no rush to enter talks on a new deal.

“Everything has been good so far,” he said. “I’ve spoken to the manager but at the moment I’m just concentrating on my football.

“When the time is right I’ll sit down and speak again.

“I’m obviously involved in a busy schedule with international and club football but when the time is right I’ll discuss it.

“But I’m still here, I’m still giving 100 per cent every week. I’m happy here and things are good. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Keep up to date with all our sport news on The Scotsman’s Sport page on Facebook

DOWNLOAD THE SCOTSMAN APP ON ITUNES OR GOOGLE PLAY