Aiden McGeady takes further shots at former Sunderland boss Phil Parkinson | OneFootball

Sunderland winger Aiden McGeady has taken shots at former Black Cats boss Phil Parkinson over his lack of opportunities earlier in the season.

One of the early decisions made by Lee Johnson after taking charge back in December was to bring McGeady back in from the cold and the 35-year-old has been a key player in their promotion push.

The Republic of Ireland international has grabbed four goals and 12 assists in just 23 League One appearances, helping Sunderland climb to third in the table – just two points back from the automatic promotion places.

McGeady’s absence under Parkinson, who was sacked back in November, was well documented and, speaking to Chronicle Live, the winger couldn’t resist taking shots at his former manager – though he didn’t reference him by name.

He said: “If I was playing at the start of this season would we have more points? Maybe, but that’s something for someone else to answer.”

When asked whether Parkinson didn’t recognise his quality, he replied: “He saw what ability I had. He knew, but for whatever reason he chose not to play me.

“But I don’t want to dwell on that. That’s done, now we’re looking forward.

“We’re on a good run, everyone is in a good mood and everyone has got that finish line in sight.

“I think it’s within our grasp and games are starting to run down now.”

This isn’t the first time that the Sunderland attacker has criticised the former manager publicly, while Parkinson made it no secret that he wanted McGeady to leave in the 2020 summer window.

The 35-year-old stayed at the Stadium of Light and that looks as though it could prove key to their promotion hopes.

He showed his quality most recently in the 1-1 draw with second-placed Peterborough United on Monday – whipping in an 81st-minute free-kick to rescue a point.

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The Verdict

The relationship between Parkinson and McGeady is a very frosty one, so it’s no surprise that the winger has taken shots at him once again.

That said, his comments will likely be echoed by Sunderland fans, who may feel that their promotion hopes could be more secure had the winger been a regular part of the side throughout the season.

It’s unclear whether the whole story will come out about the pair’s fallout but for the time being, Black Cats fans will likely be happy to celebrate the strong relationship between the 35-year-old and the current boss.