John McGinn was substituted near the end of yesterday’s victory over Motherwell and left the field to a wonderful standing ovation from the Hibs’ fans.

With the English transfer window due to close on Thursday, many now question if that will be the talented international midfielder’s last appearance in the green and white jersey.

So far the only concrete bid is from Celtic which doesn’t match Hibs’ valuation but a number of English clubs are known to be interested.

McGinn has been in excellent for this season already and he has helped the club negotiate two Europa League qualifying rounds.

Lennon insists that losing McGinn would leave a ‘huge void’ and he is amazed that his performances have not caught the eye of other top teams.

Speaking after the final whistle yesterday Lennon said: “He’s the heartbeat of the team.

“He’s got that inner drive. He’s ready to kick on but he would leave a huge void for us and I’d dread it happening.

“He’s one of the best I’ve worked with in terms of what he brings to a team and the influence he has.

“I don’t know if that’ll be his last game. It’s going to be a fraught couple of days for him.

“The only bids we’ve had have been from Celtic and I’d be amazed if we don’t get more offers in.

“He was outstanding again – he’s at the peak of his powers at the moment.

“It’s a bit like the Van Dijk situation at Celtic – I couldn’t understand why nobody took a punt on him.”

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John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.