Former Celtic, Everton and Sunderland star leaves latest club as 'mutual agreement' sees ace become free agent

A former Celtic, Everton and Sunderland star has left Ayr United.

Aiden McGeady joined the Honest Men last summer in a dual player and technical manager role. He played 16 times for Ayr last season with two goals in the Championship, but the veteran is now on the move after coming to an agreement with the club.

An Ayr statement reads: “Ayr United Football Club can confirm that Aiden McGeady has left the club by mutual agreement. The club would like to thank Aiden for his contribution since joining in July 2023 and wish him the best for his future.”

McGeady started his career at Celtic and made his name as a tricky winger with skills aplenty in his arsenal. He won seven major trophies at Celtic before moving to Spartak Moscow in 2010, returning to the UK four years later at Everton.

After three years and 43 appearances for Everton, he completed a 2017 move to Sunderland after loans at Sheffield Wednesday and Preston. He appeared 150 times for the Black Cats, scoring the same amount of goals for Sunderland as he did for Celtic, 36.

A return to Scottish football beckoned after this stint with Hibs in 2022 and he’s been with Ayr since 2023, now on the free agency pile. Speaking on his dual role last year, McGeady said: “The title is Technical Manager but I think it’ll be an evolving role and, because it’s quite a small management team.

“I expect to be involved in a lot of the aspects of the day-to-day running of the club. It’s a chance for me to see how the finances are dealt with, how the recruitment side of things works and to help plan for the club’s future.”