Aiden McGeady has admitted he has probably played his last game for Sunderland after watching the 2-0 League One play-off final victory against Wycombe from the bench.
The 36-year-old winger has not featured on the pitch for the Black Cats since coming on as a 74th-minute substitute in the 1-1 draw against Shrewsbury on November 23, with his last start seeing him sent off for the first time since 2015 during the 5-1 thrashing at Rotherham in October.
A knee ligament injury at the end of November meant he was sidelined when Alex Neil came in as manager in February and, even though he has been named as a substitute three times under the Scottish boss during the closing weeks of the campaign, he has not managed to get out onto the pitch and is now out of contract at the Stadium of Light.
When asked if he would remain in Wearside next term, the Republic of International told the Sunderland Echo: "I honestly don’t know. I still want to play.
"I’m going to carry on playing. I just don’t know where it will be.
"I doubt it will be here but I have enjoyed my time here. If it has come to end then so be it.
"I have enjoyed it here massively. Hence why I’ve stayed for so long."
Since joining the club from Everton in 2017, McGeady has scored 36 times and made 150 appearances for Sunderland, but has been limited to 14 league outings - 12 from the start - during 2021/22, while contributing three goals.
Having made his pro debut for Celtic in the month that he had just turned 18 back in 2004, McGeady has also racked up 447 senior career outings and netted 90 times at club level, with a further 93 caps for his country and five goals to his name.
On missing out on a Wembley cameo yesterday, having been part of the team that lost 2-1 in the corresponding fixture against Charlton three years ago, the former Spartak Moscow playmaker added: "I didn’t play but it was good to be a part of it.
"It is probably only me and Gooch who were here from the first play-off final. The manager has had a big impact.
"When he came in I think the team were seventh or eighth. Then you go play-offs.
"Two tough legs against Sheffield Wednesday and then Wycombe. No disrespect to Wycombe but, out of the four teams in the play-offs, if there was one team you want to play in the final, they were the ones. You’d have probably taken Wycombe in the final but we just had to get the job done today.”
