Aiden McGeady to Hibs: A signing that makes sense - but why it's a slight gamble

During talk of Aiden McGeady’s imminent arrival, the focus was on a particular number and it wasn’t the squad identification he will now wear on the back of his Hibs top.

At 36, the Republic of Ireland winger could not claim to be in the first bloom of his football career, having hit the peak, age-wise, several years ago. But while there are legitimate concerns for any player who is already past the point where the majority of his contemporaries have hung up their boots or made the switch into coaching, there is no obvious reason to fear that McGeady will not offer the Easter Road club value for money during his time in Leith.

With a wealth of experience, Hibs don’t even need to look too far into the past to see what the former Sunderland and Everton man can bring to the squad this term.

Analysing the data, as plenty of people at Hibs have done, simply replicating last season’s figures when it comes to goals and assists would categorise him as one of the best in those areas in the Scottish top tier.

That natural ability is still there and while he may not have the turn of pace to dart beyond defenders every time, the guile and close control to still leave opponents spinning remains.

With previous knowledge of the Scottish game, thanks to six years with Celtic, he is not likely to be returning north with lazy expectations, or underestimating the pace and the physicality of the game up here. But he still believes he has it within him to shine. So do Hibs.

Manager Lee Johnson was the man who resurrected his Sunderland career and McGeady rewarded him with one of his best seasons in recent years, earning a spot in the League One team of 2020/21.

It was through that spell that the player and manager developed a bond. One of