Black Cats opt to dispense with McGeady’s services

Ireland international winger Aiden McGeady is being turfed out of Sunderland.

Sunderland boss Phil Parkinson has told McGeady to find a new club in the January transfer window amid speculation of an incident at the club’s training ground.

McGeady is under contract at the Stadium of Light until 2021 having only signed a new deal in October.

Parkinson said: “We have spoken to Aiden about January and moving on and we feel it is fair to him to tell him now to give him the opportunity to sort something out.

“It gives me the opportunity to concentrate on the team moving forward and we feel it is the best decision for him going forward.

“It is not one particular incident. It is just a decision I have made and we wanted to tell Aiden and his agent early enough so they could put plans in place and we want to put our planning into place for January as well.

“It is a big decision but not one we have taken lightly. We have given it a lot of thought and I am confident it is the right decision for the club.

“Conversations between managers and players have to stay private and January is around the corner. We want to stay fair to Aiden and give him that time.

“I feel the best way forward is to find a solution and move forward in January with the players who will be here.

“It’s just giving ‘Geads’ the opportunity to get something sorted. If you make these decisions in January sometimes it can be too late.

“I think it’s fair to tell him now to give him an opportunity to sort something out. It gives me an opportunity to concentrate on the team going forward and I feel it’s the best decision.”

McGeady joined Sunderland from Everton for £250,000 (€295,331) in the summer of 2017.