McGlip signed a two and half year deal with League Two side Swindon in January, after leaving Championship outfit Birmingham City.

The 21-year-old had spent four years with Victory before leaving Australia last year to try his hand in the UK.

McGlip spent five months with City, playing for the club's under-23s, but headed to the Robins for the lure of first-team football.

Luongo first made his name at the City Ground, spending two seasons with Swindon, and it was there where he earned his first caps for the Socceros.

“I was looking to start playing first-team somewhere,” McGlip explained to FTBL.

“I was playing under-23s at Birmingham City, because of the transfer embargo I wasn’t allowed to be registered as a first-team player until next season. The club was kind of keen for me to go out on loan somewhere, so there were a few clubs I was speaking to.

“Swindon came in and said they wanted me on a permanent. I spoke to the coaches and the club, and the coach knew the manager and the director of football there. They were really complimentary about the club.

“They said it would be a good opportunity for me and it was the draw of first-team football that made me want to go there. I’d heard about the club a little bit before as obviously Mass Luongo was there for a long time.

“So hopefully if I can do half as well as him I’d be happy. Swindon’s quite a big club, they’re looking to push for promotion if not this season then next. They’re probably too big to be in League Two.”

McGlip is currently recuperating after undergoing ankle surgery last month.

“I started off quite well, I was in the squad for the first two or three games I was there,” he said.

“Then I did something to my ankle. I’ll be back before the end of the season. Before I was injured I was doing a lot of training, playing in a lot of practice games and I think I was quite close to breaking into the first-team.

“The injury came at a frustrating time. But the manager spoke to me and said just get yourself right for the back end of this season and for pre-season, as I’ve got a couple of years on my contract so hopefully next year comes and I’ll see where that takes me.”

McGlip was born in Glasgow but moved to Australia at the age of 11. He signed for Victory as a youngster in 2014, making his A-League debut for the club in 2017 and playing in the Asian Champions League last year.

“My dad’s Scottish, my mum’s Welsh and I grew up in England as well,” he said.

“I lived in Reading and was with their academy when I was younger. We moved over to Australia when I was 11 for dad’s work. I signed for Victory youth and was in that set-up for two years and then I started training with the first-team.

“I made my debut and then signed a one-year contract. At the time it was really good and I was looking forward to trying to break into the first-team, and I was doing quite well, then I got tonsillitis and I missed two thirds of the season with that.

“I had to get my tonsils out, so that was frustrating. I felt like I was good enough to be playing but I never really got back to full match fitness that season.

“As I hadn’t made the impression I wanted to that season Victory let me go, but that’s where I got my first chance of first-team football, was my boyhood club and where I’d been since I was 15.

“It was a dream to play for them so the fact I was able to do it is something I’m really happy about.”

McGlip, who can play in central midfield and in central defence, was released by Victory at the end of the 2017/2018 A-League season.

He admits it was difficult to take, but he has been fortunate to find a new club in England.

“It was tough to leave,” McGlip conceded.

“I’d been there since I was 15. I was captain of the youth team for the best part of the year. It was hard to move on.

"The fact there’s only 10 professional clubs in the A-League, good players that aren’t as fortunate as me and don’t have dual citizenship, so that made it a lot easier for me.

“I’ve seen a lot of good players I came up with not get a chance in the A-League and have to drop down to the NPL. That isn’t a bad standard but it's not professional. And once you drop down it’s very hard to get back up to the A-League.

"After that [being released] I was speaking to a few A-League clubs but there was the opportunity to come and trial at Birmingham. I did and they offered me a deal for a year. I was really keen to get over and I’ve done really well.

"I’m surprised how well I’ve done actually because when you’re in Australia everyone talks about how hard it is to make it overseas. The football is a lot quicker and a lot more physical than in Australia.

"But the fact I’ve been in and around the first-team environment at Victory has helped."