Ex-Celtic winger Niall McGinn has backed James McClean's calls for sectarianism to be handled better - as he opened up on abuse he has endured during his career.

The Northern Irishman was sent bullets in the post during his time at Parkhead and is often the subject of vile abuse at different stadiums around the country. And, after McClean recently expressed his opinion that the abuse he receives equates to that of racism suffered recently by Wilfred Zaha, McGinn agreed.

Speaking to Radio Ulster, McGinn - who now plays for Aberdeen - said: "Looking back at my time at Celtic, myself, Neil Lennon, Paddy McCourt, we had bullets sent in the post to us. It was not only hard for us, it was hard for your family.

“Neil Lennon came to my room and mentioned to me the night before that there was an article in the newspaper the following day about him and me being sent bullets in the post and just to go let my family know. The last thing I want is my mum opening a newspaper on the Sunday morning and seeing her son threatened by bullets.

“Stuff like that is hard to take. It’s brushed under the carpet like it didn’t happen but there needs to be people you can speak to about it rather than just forgetting about it and moving on. Celtic were always 100 per cent supportive of different situations with different players.

“It’s not nice to hear but it sort of comes with the job. It does seem the norm that you are entitled to get abuse, which shouldn’t be the case. Even now at Aberdeen, it's not like Celtic and Rangers and that greater rivalry, but when I go to Ibrox or Tynecastle at Hearts, you're getting called names or getting abuse when you're on the sidelines warming up.

"It's just abuse all the time. Yes, don't get me wrong, it always is a small minority, but you're getting called a fenian such and such or a fenian whatever and it is hard to take at times.

"You have different songs sung at different games regarding the hunger strikers that can be quite hurtful."