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final fear

I was set to quit, I thought I’d never get over this one – emotional Aiden McGeady opens up on Hibs injury comeback fear

AIDEN McGEADY thought about quitting football as he struggled to make it back from injury but the desire to show people he’s not at Hibs for a jolly kept him coming back for more.

Now the fit-again winger wants to play his part in helping Lee Johnson keep his job.

The ex-Celtic winger feared his latest injury would finish him.
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The ex-Celtic winger feared his latest injury would finish him.Credit: Willie Vass
McGeady and Lee Johnson worked together at Sunderland and were re-united at Easter Road.
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McGeady and Lee Johnson worked together at Sunderland and were re-united at Easter Road.Credit: PA

The Easter Road gaffer worked with McGeady at Sunderland where he was blown away by his professionalism.

Johnson saw the veteran as an ideal signing when he took over at Hibs in the summer.

But a recurrence of a knee injury meant the 36-year-old was unavailable since August.

It got so bad former Celtic and Everton star McGeady seriously considered hanging up his boots.

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But on Sunday he made his first Premiership start as Hibs claimed a crucial 3-2 win at Motherwell to ease the pressure on boss Johnson.

McGeady said: “The injury really set me back a lot because it was a recurrence of the same one from last season.

“There’s nothing worse than being injured. The last four or five months have been some of the worst of my career.

“I actually contemplated packing it in completely. I thought, ‘I’m never going to get over this’.

“But it’s all worth it when you have days like Sunday, when you are out there enjoying playing football again and showing you can make a difference. It’s not that I feel I’ve got something to prove, it’s just that I’ve not played for so long I feel I owe the club and the fans something.

“I feel people might think I’ve just up come here for the last couple of years of my career, but that’s not the case at all.

“I still love playing and I still feel I’ve something to offer.

“It was just about getting over the pain in my knee. We took it really cautiously this time. At Sunderland I rushed back and had a few setbacks. I was more cautious this time.

“There must have been people thinking, ‘He’s up here for a jolly or to top up his pension’. I absolutely wasn’t.

“I still love playing football and I want to do well for this club.”
McGeady’s return — like that of Kevin Nisbet — may have come just in time for boss Johnson.

The 41-year-old’s job looked in jeopardy following last week’s defeat to Hearts at Tynecastle.

And Johnson’s post-match rant suggested he’d lost some players inside the dressing room.

But with key men returning to fitness, McGeady hopes Sunday’s win can kick-start Hibees.

He said: “I don’t want to speak about what’s gone on before, but if you look at myself, Nisbet and Kyle Magennis, the three of us have been out for a year. Martin Boyle as well.

“It doesn’t help the manager when you have three or more focal points of the team out. It will hold you back a bit.

“I can only imagine he feels better having us three fit and I’m just glad to get back on the pitch again.

McGeady featured in pre-season before his old injury flared up.
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McGeady featured in pre-season before his old injury flared up.Credit: Alamy

“It’s about the buy-in from the players. The manager is the one who loses his job at the end of the day, but the players need to take responsibility.

“The manager picks the team and the formation, but it’s hard when it’s down to individual errors, like it was at Tynecastle.
Intelligence

“The manager gets the blame, but that’s the industry we’re in.

“I think if he gets his best players and best formation, with the game intelligence and game management, I don’t think we will be too far away

“We have been on such a bad run, but it just shows how tight the league is. You win three games in a row and you shoot up the table. We just need to put a bit of a run together.

“We’ve got Dundee United and then Hearts in the Scottish Cup.

“It’s not been good enough, but hopefully Sunday will be a turning point.”

Nisbet boasted before the Fir Park clash he’d score the goals to get his side out of trouble.

On Sunday, he backed up his claim as he netted a superb hat-trick to help Hibs win, with McGeady setting up his opener.

The ex-Republic of Ireland star added: “He’s got an eye for goal. His build-up play is very good.

“He doesn’t need a lot of touches to turn or try to beat players when he has his back to goal. He’s clever, his movement is good and he’s a good finisher.

“He’s just back from an ACL injury and he’s scored five goals already, including a hat-trick.

“For us, he’s a massive player, because we need goals.

“If he carries on like this, there will be no shortage of suitors. I don’t want to be talking him into a move away from Hibs, but we know how these things happen.

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“He’s been really good from what I’ve seen so far.

“I’ve obviously not played a lot with him, but he showed on Sunday what he can do.”

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