CHARLTON ATHLETIC MANAGER Lee Bowyer has expressed his determination to ensure that Aiden McGeady’s loan spell is a success.
After falling out of favour at League One club Sunderland, McGeady has moved back up to the Championship by joining Charlton until the end of the season.
Just over 24 hours after competing his deadline-day move to London, the 33-year-old winger — who hasn’t played a game since 26 November — was an unused substitute for his new club’s 2-1 win against Barnsley.
McGeady will instead hope to make his Charlton debut this weekend, with the Addicks on the road for a meeting with Michael O’Neill’s Stoke City.
The experienced Republic of Ireland international, who joined Sunderland in 2017, had been thriving for the Black Cats following their relegation to League One.
After being named their Player of the Year for the 2018-19 campaign, he was rewarded with a contract extension to remain at the Stadium of Light until the summer of 2021.
However, Sunderland boss Phil Parkinson told the former Celtic, Spartak Moscow and Everton player in December that he’d be free to leave the club during the January transfer window.
Amid reports that he was involved in a training ground incident, McGeady was banished from the first-team squad and forced to train with the club’s U23 side.
“McGeady is a great player,” Bowyer said today in his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s trip to the Bet365 Stadium.
“Whatever has gone on in the past is gone and it’s nothing to do with me. My job now is to get him back to where we know he can be.
“He scores goals and makes assists and I’m delighted that he’s in our squad. He brings us something different.”
McGeady scored 14 goals in all competitions for Sunderland last season before Charlton ended their promotion hopes in the League One play-off final at Wembley.
He won the most recent of his 93 senior caps in Ireland’s World Cup play-off defeat to Denmark in November 2017.
Charlton, who also have Ireland midfielder Josh Cullen on loan from West Ham United, currently sit in 19th place in the Championship, four points clear of the relegation zone.
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