Former Sunderland boss Lee Johnson has opened up on what it was like to manage ex-Black Cat Aiden McGeady, suggesting that the winger is the most talented player he has ever worked with, but also claiming that he represented a “difficult” challenge.

Johnson took charge at the Stadium of Light in December 2020, and swiftly made the decision to return McGeady to the first team picture after he had fallen out of favour under previous manager Phil Parkinson.

The ex-Republic of Ireland international repaid Johnson’s faith hugely, registering six goals and assisting 18 more across 36 appearances in all competitions over the second half of the 2020/21 campaign. The following season, he would contribute three goals and four assists in 14 League One outings before a knee injury curtailed his playing time, with Johnson losing his job on Wearside in January 2022.

But reflecting on his time in the North East during an appearance on the Business of Sport podcast, Johnson admitted that managing a “maverick” talent like McGeady can present a unique set of challenges. He said: “Honestly, I think it’s something I’ve got to get better at. I am very much a team player, and I want my team to [be better than] the sum of parts, if you like, to be better or greater than any individual.

“So, you know, the mavericks I’ve had in the past… I haven’t been, I would say, elite in terms of that management. You know, I’d say the sort of mavericks I’ve had are probably Jose Baxter, Oldham, then I had Lee Tomlin at Bristol City, and probably Aiden McGeady at both Sunderland and Hibs. So, you know, three top players at the time for the level, if you know what I mean.

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“And it’s difficult because they do think differently. Part of their quality is that sort of maverick ability to go against the norm, if you like. Aiden McGeady is an example. It was a bit of a quick win for me, really, going to Sunderland and bringing Aidan back because he’d sort of been banished into the 23s by Parkey [Phil Parkinson] at the time. And Aiden came back, and Aiden was fantastic.

“You know, he scored or created almost a goal a game. You see those stats on Messi and Ronaldo. And between him and Charlie Wyke, we were basically one or two nil up before we’d started, data-wise.

“But then he came to Hibs and Aiden wasn’t playing, and it became difficult to manage, and in my view, not conducive to the first-team environment. We didn’t get on anywhere near as well as we did at Sunderland. So I think there’s always a balance. I think the team has to come first.”

When asked later in the interview who the most talented player he has managed in his career thus far is, he replied: “Probably Aiden McGeady, in terms of sheer skill. His nutmeg success was like 98%, something like that – unbelievable. You’d forever see players laughing, rolling their eyes just as he’s about to nutmeg them, knowing that they’re trying to stop it but it’s still happening. Again, fantastic player to watch, whether it be in training or games, but difficult player to manage.”

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