Former Celtic star Aiden McGeady ‘fit and available’ to face Ibrox club

Former Celtic hero Aiden McGeady has been declared fit and available for Hibernian’s trip to Ibrox to face theRangers. McGeady was signed by new Hibs boss Lee Johnson after he became a free agent at the end of last season. Unfortunately for the player, he ended up with a bad injury which has ruled him out for several months.

McGeady, 36, was an undoubted fan favourite when he was under contract at Celtic Park. First making the breakthrough under Martin O’Neill around 2004, it was obvious from the get-go that Aiden was a bit special. His development continued under Gordon Strachan when he arrived, although the ex-Scotland manager did clash with the Republic of Ireland man on occasion.

 Rangers player Pedro Mendes brings down Celtic player Aiden Mcgeady during the CIS Insurance Cup Final between Rangers and Celtic at Hampden Park on March 15, 2009. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

He eventually left Celtic in 2010, when Neil Lennon became manager; moving for a then club-record £9.5 million. The move suited both parties as he had accomplished all he had to in a Celtic jersey and the money on offer was significant – both for the Hoops’ rebuild and for McGeady personally.

Football Scotland have now reported that Hibs’ boss, Johnson has no qualms about throwing the experienced campaigner into the mix ahead of the domestic restart.

“As a manager you’re looking at individuals, you have illnesses here or there, and you try to piece together the perfect blend,” he said. “Obviously, Martin Boyle is going to be out, so we’re trying to find a solution to that position, and we have a big game coming up against Rangers at Ibrox too, so there’s all these factors to think about.

 Celtic player Aiden Mcgeady celebrates after scoring the second Celtic goal during the CIS Insurance Cup Final between Rangers and Celtic at Hampden Park on March 15, 2009.. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

“A club like us, we need our best players fit and the maximum number of options available. Going into theRangers game, we’ve certainly got minutes in those players. Whether we’ve got 96 minutes is another story because of their history, but at the same time if we can make them sharp for 45 to 60 minutes, then that leaves us with options.“That will help us play the way that we want to play for as long as possible. As a staff we’ve been working extremely hard, and when I say staff, I include the back of house on the football side, which is recruitment, player care, operations and the physio team. This spell has served us really well. We’ve had to get some players that’ve been injured for a while back up to speed, so for them, they’ve had a mini pre-season so we can push them on a physical level.”

Paul Gillespie

About Author

I'm a Garngad Bhoy through and through. My first ever Celtic game was a friendly against Italian side Parma at Celtic Park, in 2002. Currently a student of English Literature and Education at the University of Strathclyde for my sins. Favourite game would be a toss up between beating Manchester United with that Naka freekick, or the game against the Oldco when Hesselink scored in the dying seconds. I'm still convinced Cal Mac is wasted playing that far back.

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