AIDEN McGeady was last night told he can still feature for the Republic of Ireland in the Euro 2016 finals this summer - if he accepts a sizeable pay cut and returns to Celtic on loan for the second half of the season.

McGeady is poised to leave English Premier League club Everton, where he has only featured in one match in the 2015/16 campaign, during the January transfer window in a bid to get regular first team football.

The 29-year-old, who has won 79 international caps for Ireland, has fallen out of his national side in recent months due to his lack of game time at club level and he is keen to be involved with his adopted homeland in France.

The winger has been repeatedly linked with a return to Parkhead, where he spent seven years in the first team before joining Spartak Moscow in a £9.5 million transfer in 2010, this season and he is believed to be open to the possibility.

Yet, Ronny Deila, the Celtic manager, last week stressed the Scottish champions would be unable to boost their bid to win the Premiership, League Cup and Scottish Cup by bringing in the forward unless he agreed to accept a significant reduction in his salary.

Norwich City and Sunderland both tried unsuccessfully to take the Glasgow-born player on loan at the start of the season and there is sure to be interest in him from clubs in the Premier League and Championship down south.

However, Didier Agathe, the former Celtic winger who played alongside McGeady towards the end of his memorable spell in Scotland, believes his old team mate should make being involved in Euro 2016 his priority.

And Agathe feels the best way for him to find form, force his way back into Martin O’Neill’s team and be involved in the Group E games against Belgium, Italy and Sweden in France would be to return to Celtic.

“Aiden is obviously a fantastic player,” he said. “He is very quick and skilful on the ball. He has a lot of ability. In a one on one situation, or even in a one on two situation, he can get past anyone.

“What is more, the fans at Celtic know him. He loves the club and the club loves the player. I think he can play with a lot of confidence there. It would be a massive thing for the club and a good thing for him. It would be fantastic for the fans to see him playing once again.

“The fans at Celtic are very used to seeing wide players. It goes back to the days of Jimmy Johnstone. They have always had great wingers throughout their history. When I was at the club we had Bobby Petta, myself and also Alan Thompson on the left side of midfield.

“Celtic should always play with wingers. Of course, it has a lot to do with the way the manager wants the team to play and where he would fit in. But I think it would be good for the club and for the fans is Aiden was to go back there.”

Agathe, who played for Celtic in the Champions League and in the UEFA Cup final in 2003 after signing for just £35,000 from Hibs in 2000, had a short spell with Aston Villa towards the end of his career.

He featured as a substitute in games against Spurs, Liverpool and Everton during his brief stint in the top flight in England. However, he felt the experience failed to match his time at Celtic.

The 40-year-old, who now runs his own youth academy in his native Reunion, believes McGeady can rediscover his best form and further his chances of being involved with Ireland if he goes back to where it all started for him.

“Celtic is a special club,” said Agathe. “When you leave a club like Celtic it is very difficult to find the same sort of fans again even if you move to England.

“The main thing that Aiden needs is confidence. This is a massive thing for a player. If he goes to Celtic he can take confidence from the fans and get back playing to his best. It could be a fantastic move for him.

“A player can make a lot of money and be on the bench. When you play football at Celtic Park you don’t think about the money. It doesn’t really matter. He shouldn’t put money in first position. He should make playing in Euro 2016 the most important thing.

“Aiden needs to play regularly again and be enjoying himself and get confidence. The best place for that to happen is Celtic Park. Sometimes you need to remember where you come from.

“When you finish your career you always think about your best moments, about playing in the Champions League, about the atmosphere in the stadiums you played in, about the great friends you made and the great fans who supported you. Playing in Euro 2016 would be a great experience for him.”