McGeady set for Republic bow

Celtic starlet Aiden McGeady’s international future is set for a new twist after it was revealed that his Irish debut is likely to be against Scotland.

McGeady has already pledged his allegiance to the the Republic of Ireland, the country of his grandparents, but his obvious potential means he has also been vigorously chased by the Scotland camp.

The 19-year-old hit the headlines last weekend when he scored in the 1-1 draw against Hearts but his talent was spotted long before his Hoops debut at Tynecastle.

Despite being born in Glasgow, he has opted for Brian Kerr’s Republic side rather than the country of his birth, and has featured at youth level.

The Republic are now keen to confirm his status as an Irish international by selecting him for the under-21 squad at the earliest opportunity, and their next scheduled game is a friendly against Rainer Bonhof’s Scotland youngsters later this month.

Ireland under-21 manager Don Givens told the Herald: “I would think that, if the player is okay with it, then he would be in the squad.

“We are aware that Scotland want him and are keen to get him involved as quickly as possible.

“We have a couple of injuries but, in any case, his was the first name that came to mind when I started thinking about the squad.”