What to make of Aiden McGeady? (Video)

Aiden McGeady remains one of the enigmas of British football. Lauded in his days at Celtic for his twinkling, twirling, effervescent and goal-laden wing play in the Scottish Premier League, McGeady was judged to be one of the best prospects to have come out of the Celtic academy in years. Indeed, his decision to choose to play for the Republic of Ireland rather than Scotland is one that still rankles with the Tartan Army, particularly due to McGeady’s original hand being forced by a technicality of the Scottish FA, which refuses to allow a player who did not play for their schoolboy team to be considered for selection for the prestigious Scottish Schools selects.

However, such was McGeady’s supposed talent that many expected him to move south to one of the Premier League heavyweights when he eventually took the decision to leave Celtic Park. However, with no offers forthcoming, McGeady took the brave yet surprising decision to leave the British eye for Russia and Spartak Moscow.

It’s rare for a British player to take the risk and upheaval that comes with moving abroad and so simply for that, McGeady deserves to be applauded. However, his performances for Spartak have hardly been indicative of a man in mesmeric form. His statistics indicate that he is hardly setting the Russian league alight, despite an impressive assists ratio since his arrival in Moscow. Indeed, despite the talent shown in the video below, there has been no indication of a move back to Britain and the Premier League. Without getting too bombastic about our league, surely that is where McGeady dreamed of showcased his talents, rather than often half-empty stadiums in Russia?

His performances for Ireland have also often flattered to deceive with his big chance to show the Europe what he could do wasted at Euro 2012, where McGeady, possibly stymied by the tactics of manager Giovanni Trappatoni, often looked one-dimensional and unable to beat his man, only succeeding in putting in a raft at crosses with varying accuracy.

However, there is no doubting that within McGeady is a player of real potential and as he lines up against his former club Celtic at the Luzhniki Stadium on Tuesday, the winger has the perfect opportunity to ram the questions of any critics down their throats.

Adam Mazrani

Follow @AdamMazrani