Celtic winger Aiden McGeady has lost in his bid to be declared fit for Wednesday’s World Cup qualifier against Italy in Bari.

Having struggled all last week before overcoming injury to play against Bulgaria on Saturday, a fresh knee injury picked up in that game will now rule McGeady out of action and force a rethink for manager Giovanni Trapattoni.

With fellow winger Damien Duff already ruled out, the pressure and focus will be on Trapattoni – especially considering his ongoing policy of overlooking Andy Reid. Andy Keogh seems the most likely replacement for McGeady, having replaced him in Saturday’s game.