James McCarthy could find a good home at English Championship side Sunderland if he is to leave Celtic, according to former teammate Aiden McGeady.
The Republic of Ireland international has made just six starts since swapping Crystal Palace for Parkhead on a four-year deal last summer. He is reported as having options in England to consider.
With minutes at Celtic looking increasingly limited, the midfielder was left out of last weekend's 2-0 Premiership win over Aberdeen. McGeady played with McCarthy at Everton and has had a chat with the 31-year-old over his future.
The current Hibs winger who left Sunderland in the summer says he's not happy about not playing and a reunion with Alex Neil - who he worked with at Hamilton Accies - could fit nicely. Asked if the Black Cats could be an option, McGeady said on Go Radio: "James is a great player. He had the leg break a few years ago and that set him back.
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"But when I was at Everton with him, he was the heartbeat of our team. He did very well there. He's very underrated. I actually met him last week and he was saying he wanted to play, and it's annoying him that he isn't.
"The Sunderland one seems to fit quite well as Alex Neil obviously had him at Hamilton. I think it would be a good fit for him.
"It's a very big club with a very passionate fanbase. That would be a great platform for him, especially now they are trying to stabilise again in the Championship."
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