FOOTBALL: Caps must wait till I'm Hoops star.(Sport)

Byline: SCOTT McDERMOTT

TEENAGE star Aiden McGeady says he would be EMBARRASSED to be playing for Ireland if he wasn't getting a regular game at Celtic.

The Parkhead kid, regarded as one of the top prospects in British football, won his first cap for Brian Kerr's men in June against Jamaica.

But he insists it was a deliberate ploy by the Eire boss to prevent him changing his mind and playing for Scotland.

McGeady's now determined to forget about international football and cement his place firmly in Martin O'Neill's starting line-up.

The 18-year-old said: 'It's good to be capped so young but in my case it was just to get it out of the way because Scotland wanted me too.

'I was happy because playing for your country is an honour but Brian made it clear afterwards that we'd need to wait and see how it goes.

'He couldn't promise I'd be included if I wasn't in my club side. And that's the way it should be.

'I'd be embarrassed to play for Ireland if I wasn't getting a game for Celtic - it just wouldn't feel right.

'The first object for me is to become involved with the top team at Parkhead on a regular basis.

'Everything has happened so quickly in the last six months. Before that I was struggling to get a game for Celtic's Under-21s.

'I had hoped to maybe make an appearance in the first team but to score on my debut against Hearts was something I just didn't expect.'

McGeady is seen as a genuine replacement for Lubomir Moravcik at Parkhead and Irish legend Liam Brady once touted him as the 'most naturally gifted youngster' he had seen at his age.

Despite his tender years Aiden played a pivotal part in Celtic's lineup for their recent tour of America and started ahead of Stephen Pearson in last week's SPL win over Motherwell.

But the youngster can't quite believe his meteoric rise to stardom and praised Celtic's senior players for helping him progress.

McGeady said: 'It's been a great experience to come up against some of the best teams in the world and I can only learn from playing against quality international defenders.

'There's no guarantee I'll be involved in the Champions League this season but my main priority is to get a regular game.

'The international scene can go on the back burner for a bit. I'm still young and have plenty of time.

'Senior pros like Paul Lambert and Alan Thompson have helped me a lot. They know what it's like to try to break through aged 18.

'They give me pointers, which is great because it's something they didn't need to do.'

CAPTION(S):

McGeady: First team bid

FOOTBALL: Caps must wait till I'm Hoops star.(Sport)

Byline: SCOTT McDERMOTT

TEENAGE star Aiden McGeady says he would be EMBARRASSED to be playing for Ireland if he wasn't getting a regular game at Celtic.

The Parkhead kid, regarded as one of the top prospects in British football, won his first cap for Brian Kerr's men in June against Jamaica.

But he insists it was a deliberate ploy by the Eire boss to prevent him changing his mind and playing for Scotland.

McGeady's now determined to forget about international football and cement his place firmly in Martin O'Neill's starting line-up.

The 18-year-old said: 'It's good to be capped so young but in my case it was just to get it out of the way because Scotland wanted me too.

'I was happy because playing for your country is an honour but Brian made it clear afterwards that we'd need to wait and see how it goes.

'He couldn't promise I'd be included if I wasn't in my club side. And that's the way it should be.

'I'd be embarrassed to play for Ireland if I wasn't getting a game for Celtic - it just wouldn't feel right.

'The first object for me is to become involved with the top team at Parkhead on a regular basis.

'Everything has happened so quickly in the last six months. Before that I was struggling to get a game for Celtic's Under-21s.

'I had hoped to maybe make an appearance in the first team but to score on my debut against Hearts was something I just didn't expect.'

McGeady is seen as a genuine replacement for Lubomir Moravcik at Parkhead and Irish legend Liam Brady once touted him as the 'most naturally gifted youngster' he had seen at his age.

Despite his tender years Aiden played a pivotal part in Celtic's lineup for their recent tour of America and started ahead of Stephen Pearson in last week's SPL win over Motherwell.

But the youngster can't quite believe his meteoric rise to stardom and praised Celtic's senior players for helping him progress.

McGeady said: 'It's been a great experience to come up against some of the best teams in the world and I can only learn from playing against quality international defenders.

'There's no guarantee I'll be involved in the Champions League this season but my main priority is to get a regular game.

'The international scene can go on the back burner for a bit. I'm still young and have plenty of time.

'Senior pros like Paul Lambert and Alan Thompson have helped me a lot. They know what it's like to try to break through aged 18.

'They give me pointers, which is great because it's something they didn't need to do.'

CAPTION(S):

McGeady: First team bid