Transfer target McGeady had 'genuine injury' says manager

CELTIC manager Neil Lennon has admitted he understands why conspiracy theorists have gone into overdrive following the non-appearance of Aiden McGeady away to Braga in midweek - even in once again rebuffing them.

McGeady, the subject of a 9m-plus bid from Champions League participants Spartak Moscow, did not even make the bench for the third-round qualifier in the competition that Celtic lost 3-0 on Wednesday because of a reported back injury.

Yet the previous evening Lennon had stated the 24-year-old was ready to feature, despite having missed the pre-season tour of America with a thigh injury. The 24-hour turnaround in the winger's availability has been attributed to an unwillingness by Celtic's powerbrokers to see their prize asset ineligible to play in the Champions League for sole bidders for his services Spartak. It's a version of events disputed by Lennon.

"If I was on the outside looking in, I would think there was something fishy going on," Lennon said. "One thing you cannot control is speculation, hearsay, rumours and conspiracy theories and you just have to deal with that.

"He was ready (on Tuesday], but he started to complain about his back after the training session in the evening. Seemingly, this has been a recurring thing he has had for a while. He did have a genuine injury with his thigh and then his calf.

"Aiden is not one of those guys to feign injuries. He doesn't make things up and when he's injured, he's injured. We had to take that into consideration and spoke to the doctor and the physio. They genuinely felt it was best that we didn't play him."

Lennon insisted McGeady would play in the Braga return leg "if he is fit" - and "unless I'm told otherwise" he said, repeating the phrase he employed last Tuesday - and has not resigned himself to losing the player imminently. That might be down to the fact that "realistically, I think he would prefer to play in the Premier League" than Moscow. "He knows the environment and it is closer to home for him, but you cannot always get what you want," Lennon said, admitting to surprise there had been no formal offers from him from England, where Celtic would be happy to sell him if the fee came close to that lodged by Spartak.

"I don't know if he'll remain here after the transfer window has closed - I can't answer that question. You never know in football but there's strong interest, not just from Moscow, but from other clubs as well. Aiden's a big player for us and has been for a number of seasons now. He was very important for me towards the end of last season and he's a very talented player.

"Every player has his price and sometimes we can't stand in the way of that."