McGeady aiming for more game time

Aiden McGeady says he wants to secure more regular games after registering his first Everton goal in the friendly loss against Celta Vigo.

The Republic of Ireland international found the net early on in Wednesday’s match with a left-footed strike before the Merseyside club went down 3-1 to the La Liga side.

McGeady, who joined Everton in the January transfer window from Spartak Moscow, began the game on the wing before moving into a less-familiar supporting striker role later in the match.

And the former Celtic man hopes his flexibility will lead to more games.

“I played a bit of a different role in the second half and I felt tired at times but I’m just glad I’m getting on the pitch and getting minutes,” he told the club’s official website. “Hopefully it continues into the start of the campaign.

“Every player wants to play and I’ll play anywhere. I played as a support striker in the second half and I’m just trying to get used to the formation and the tactics the manager wants, and where to be when we’ve not got the ball.”

Everton enjoyed a memorable first season under Roberto Martinez, recording their best ever points total in the Premier League era, but pre-season results have been uninspiring. However, McGeady says the main focus of the friendlies is to improve fitness.

“The result wasn’t ideal and the performance wasn’t the best either,” he added. “We played a bit better in the second half but pre-season results aren’t the main thing.

“We’d like to win every game. It’s all about getting yourself fit for the first game of the season and we’ve got one match left to do that now.”

Everton’s final pre-season friendly is on Saturday against German side Paderborn before the Premier League campaign begins a week later.