Aiden McGeady got to a point this season where he thought of 'packing it all in' after suffering a devastating injury at Hibs.
The former Celtic star was a key signing of Lee Johnson's in the summer but fell at the first hurdle after a recurrence of a previous knee ligament injury came back with a vengeance before the domestic season even began at Easter Road. It meant the 36-year-old spent half a year on the Hibs sidelines before returning last weekend against Motherwell in fine form.
McGeady believes the injury could have ended his career entirely but admits he is determined to prove to the Hibs fans that he is not back in the capital for a final payday. The attacker came out swinging in defence of his transfer to Leith and insists he will do everything he can to get Johnson's men back on track.
Sign up to Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
He told the Edinburgh Evening News: "It’s not that I feel I’ve got something to prove, it’s just that I’ve not played for so long I feel I probably owe the club and the fans something.
"I feel people might think I've just come up here to see out the last couple of years of my career or whatever. That’s not the case at all. I still love playing football and I still feel I have something to offer.
“The injury really set me back a lot. There’s nothing worse than being injured. The last four or five months have been some of the worst of my career. I actually contemplated just packing it in completely.
"I thought, ‘I’m never going to get over this’ but it’s all been worth it when you have days like Sunday, when you’re out there enjoying playing football again and showing people that you can make a difference.
“It was just about getting over the pain I was having in my knee. We took it really cautiously this time. At Sunderland I came back too soon and had two or three setbacks. This time, though, I took it really cautiously. There must have been people thinking: ‘He’s come here for a jolly up or to top up his pension’, whatever they want to say. I absolutely wasn’t. I still love playing football and I want to do well for this club.”
READ NEXT:
- Hibs in relegation battle and Lee Johnson pressure building says Kevin Thomson in Hearts analysis
- Hearts 3 Hibs 0 as Lee Johnson's men suffer derby disaster with VAR drama - 3 things we learned
