Aiden McGeady has joked that Lee Johnson tried to retire him twice while at Hibs last season.
The former Celtic winger spent much of last term on the treatment table at Easter Road after suffering injuries to his knee and hamstring.
The 37-year-old departed the Edinburgh giants at the end of May and signed for Ayr United this summer.
He joined Lee Bullen's men on a two-year deal as a player and their technical director.
It's a new role for him, but one the veteran is enjoying having recently finished his Masters degree.
But McGeady insists despite some of his focus switch to off-field matters, there was never a chance he was going to hang his boots up this summer.
The former Republic of Ireland international joked: "Lee Johnson probably retired me twice in the media to be honest! When I got fit again, I knew I could play, no bother. Even though I got surgery for a hamstring injury I know I can still play.
"In terms of my roles here, it's been good. I've been combining it with coaching the younger players too.
"I've also been helping here with recruitment and my phone has been going mental! I'm kind of covering a lot of different areas and I'm gaining a lot of experience.
"I've finished my Masters degree and handed in my dissertation last week and then I will hopefully finish my A licence in coaching.
"So there are loads of different things going on. But I am still playing and that's the main thing. I knew I could still play so this is a great opportunity of playing and combining it with gaining experience.
"Ultimately, I wanted to go down a sporting director route before I started, but the coaching aspect has been good and I enjoy that too.
"At the end of my two years here I will probably have a more defined route for myself. It's a unique opportunity."
Meanwhile, former Celtic winger Jota has been linked with a dramatic return to Parkhead after making just two appearances for new club Al-Ittihad.
The Portuguese ace could be on the verge of a sensational return to Glasgow just a month after bidding an emotional farewell to Hoops fans. He joined the club on loan from Benfica at the start of the 2021/22 campaign, and he ended up scoring 10 league goals as Celtic cruised to the title.
The Hoops triggered a buyout clause last summer, snapping Jota up for just £6.5million and handing him a five-year deal.
