DAYDREAM BELIEVERS; McGeady: New lease of life can take me all the way to World Cup.

Byline: PAUL O'HEHIR

FIRED-UP Aiden McGeady feels like a man reinvented - and is straining to be let off the leash against Arsenal next week.

The Celtic and Ireland wing wizard has been given a free role at club level this season and is primed to produce some scintillating football.

New Celtic boss Tony Mowbray is renowned for playing an eye-catching game and is placing a lot of trust in the 23-year-old this year.

The manager has never seen a player with quicker feet than McGeady and sees no merit in "caging that up."

And Mowbray is now determined to build his team around the Ireland ace and McGeady is happy to carry that pressure.

"By having such quality, imagination and ability, you have to harness your team around it," said the former West Brom boss recently.

"You have to build your team around that quality. Let him go and win us games and create us chances."

So, at club level at least, McGeady is no longer expected to chalk his boots by hugging the touchline. Now he has licence to weave inside, collect ball from the midfielders and drive at the heart of defences to his heart's content.

And it is there that Mowbray believes McGeady will be at his brilliant best and the player himself admits he's been waiting a long time for this opportunity.

"It's different for me," admitted McGeady, who trained with the Ireland team last night ahead of tomorrow's Australia friendly at Thomond Park.

"I'm used to being a winger. Now, since the new manager has come in, he has told me to come inside more and asked me to play in the middle.

"That suits me as I have always wanted to do that. I've played there in training and I was up for the challenge whenever it came. Obviously the manager is showing good faith in me now.

"He has sort of been a breath of fresh air for the coaching staff, it's obviously a different set up now. Things have been going well, playing good football and getting results as well."

That new sense of adventure was typified when Celtic went to Dinamo Moscow last week and turned a 1-0 home defeat into a 2-0 away win in the Champions League qualifiers.

And Celtic's reward is a glamour clash with Arsenal next Tuesday night. It's a high-stakes, winner takes all clash with the victors progressing through to the group stages.

"It was the first time we had won away in Europe for six years and now we have an even bigger task ahead of us in Arsenal," added McGeady.

"It's a massive game for us and we know that we will be underdogs. They will be the favourites and it's the hardest draw we could have got."

For now, though, McGeady must park all thoughts of Arsenal as he is on international duty with a friendly against Australia to mull over tomorrow night.

And having not started for the last two competitive games away to Italy (injured) and Bulgaria (a late sub) he is determined to force his way back into Giovanni Trapattoni's plans.

Stephen Hunt excelled in his place for those two games but the want-away Reading winger is only overcoming a groin injury that could restrict his involvement tomorrow.

But while Trapattoni encourages McGeady to attack and shoot in promising positions, he is not afforded the same freedom for country as club.

"My role is definitely laid down by the manager and it's totally different to what I do at Celtic," he said.

"But the main thing is just to be playing and winning.

"I'm looking forward to the qualifiers and qualifying for the World Cup."

CAPTION(S):

ADVENTURE Tony Mowbray is placing his trust in Aiden McGeady with a more central role at Celtic A NEW LEASE OF LIFE McGeady impressed in Celtic's 2-0 win over Dinamo in Russia last week A NEW LEASE OF LIFE McGeady impressed in Celtic's 2-0 win over Dinamo in Russia last week