Hibs given major update on Aiden McGeady’s future amid retirement fears after season-ending injury
AIDEN McGEADY has told Hibs that he wants to keep playing next season.
The veteran is out for the rest of this term after an op on his torn hamstring.
And that led to fears McGeady, who turned 37 on Tuesday, would call time on his career.
But after successful surgery, boss Lee Johnson revealed the winger is eyeing a comeback.
Johnson said: “The update is that Aiden does want to play on.
“We’ve had a brief conversation but the main focus for us and for him is getting fit.
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“We have to do that anyway and then there has to be a decision made on the back of that.
“It’s the right thing to do to make sure we see that process through.
Rehab
“That could be anywhere from 12 weeks to 24 weeks depending on how he reacts to the surgery and how his rehab goes, and the age factor comes into it.
“Especially with a player that age, there’s a lot of consideration to decide on for him and for us.
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“But the one thing I do know and I can publicly state is he’s very, very keen to continue to play, and he’s very keen to continue to play for Hibs.”
Johnson is to hold talks with the City Football Group with a view to a potential partnership.
But he has stressed any such tie-up WON’T come at the expense of his own club’s best kids.
Steve Kean’s Under-19 side beat Molde and Nantes in the Uefa Youth League this season before losing to Borussia Dortmund.
And Johnson said: “If we have a young left-back coming through, who we believe is going to be in the starting XI next year, we’re not going to be asking Liverpool, or Manchester United, or Manchester City, for their options at left-back.
“It’s all about maximising the numbers as well in a budgetary sense. We’ve got some great young players at this football club who I’m excited about.
“But the reality is you have to look everywhere.
“Who in their right mind would turn down the opportunity to have a fantastic link with top clubs?
“It’s not just younger players; we’re talking about partnerships, data transfer, sponsorship.
“The City Football Group as an example must have about 600 players — and it might be a 32-year-old who has the potential to jump into a different country. Everything is assessed.
“You would be losing out if you didn’t have conversations with the big clubs and the superpowers that want to help you because they’ve been into the environment.
“These partnerships are two-way things. The club has signed partnerships with clubs previously and sometimes haven’t maximised them.
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“So it’s something that’s important for us as a football club to bridge the gap.”
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