Aberdeen midfielder Dylan McGeouch opens up about his Sunderland exit and the moment he knew he had to leave

Dylan McGeouch says he doesn’t want to ‘make excuses’ for why his time on Wearside didn’t work out as he looks to kick-start his career with Aberdeen.
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The midfielder left Sunderland on Tuesday to head back to Scotland to team up with Derek McInnes, McGeouch signing a two-and-a-half year deal.

It was seen as quite a coup when Sunderland secured McGeouch’s services ahead of their first campaign in League One but he struggled to nail down a regular spot and injuries hampered his appearances.

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McGeouch admitted his time in England had been difficult and knew his time was up under Phil Parkinson but stressed he was looking to the future and reviving his career.

Dylan McGeouch. Dylan McGeouch.
Dylan McGeouch.

McGeouch said: “I don’t want to make excuses and blame managers.

“For one reason or another, it didn’t work out. I had a few wee niggles at the start and was in and out of the team a bit.

“I would say sometimes it was a difficult club to be around. They’re a big club – the fans are passionate and are there in their numbers every week.

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“They’re a Premier League club competing in League 1 and it’s a tough league to get out of. The expectations are there. As players you’ve got to deal with that.

"A new manager coming in wipes the slate. But from the first week he [Parkinson] was in, I was left out of squads. I knew then that I’d be moving on in January.

"So Derek was back on the phone and was really keen to get back to Scotland. Players get frustrated not playing and that was when I knew I needed to go and get regular game-time and kick-start my career.

“I had a good few years at Hibs, getting into the international squad, and you go down the road thinking ‘right, I’m going to kick on’. But it just never really worked out. It happens quite a lot. It doesn’t go to the plan you thought it would.”

McGeouch was the second player to leave Sunderland this window, following Laurens De Bock’s return to Leeds United, with the left-back keen to move back closer to his home in Belgium.