McGeady commits to ‘big future’ at Parkhead until 2011

AIDEN McGEADY insists his decision to sign an extended deal at Celtic had nothing to do with the departure of former midfield rival Shaun Maloney to Aston Villa.

The 20-year-old has been handed a new four-and-a-half-year contract which ties him to the Bank of Scotland Premier League champions until 2011.

Republic of Ireland international McGeady had to battle for the left-midfield position with Maloney before the Scotland star sustained an ankle injury.

After months of talks with chief executive Peter Lawwell, Maloney, whose contract with the Hoops was due to expire in the summer, decided to join former boss Martin O’Neill at Villa Park just before the January transfer window closed in a £1 million (€1.5m) deal.

But McGeady insists Maloney’s departure had little impact on his agreeing to a new contract at Parkhead. “To be honest, it didn’t really play a big part because players make their own decisions” he said. “Shaun maybe thought that his time at Celtic had turned him into a better player and it was the right time to go to England.

“I wish him all the best, but even if Shaun had stayed I would have still been here fighting for a place in the team. I never really thought about moving away because I have progressed as a player and I want to keep progressing under the manager and the coaching staff here. I’m happy that the manager thinks I have a big future here and I was happy to sign.”

Manager Gordon Strachan was also keen to stress that the loss of Maloney had no bearing on the McGeady deal.

He said: “Not at all. This has been going on for a few months now. It’s a strong commitment from both sides. Aiden is showing trust in us to look after him and we trust him because we believe he has got a lot to offer.

“There is still a lot of work to be done with him. That will be a great challenge for Aiden, myself and the rest of the coaching staff but he is going to be a great asset.”

The Parkhead club are still waiting to see where and under what circumstances they will play the second leg of their Champions League last-16 clash with AC Milan on March 7.

Football has been halted until further notice in Italy following the death of policeman Filippo Raciti, who was killed on the margins of Friday’s Sicily derby between Catania and Palermo.

One of the impositions which could be enforced by the country’s authorities is ordering all clubs to play their matches behind closed doors. But McGeady is hoping Celtic will be facing the Italian giants in front of a full house in Milan. “I would like to have fans in the San Siro because there would be a great atmosphere” he said.

Meanwhile McGeady is hoping to be fit for Saturday’s Bank of Scotland Premier League clash with Hibernian.

“I’ve had a problem with my cruciate ligament for a few weeks but I’ve been playing on with it. But the other day in training I made a tackle and it got pretty bad so I had to have an injection.

“However, hopefully I will be back for the game on Saturday against Hibs.”