So just how did top Scots football star end up in a river at 2.40am?
Player refuses to talk about late-night fall
A FOOTBALLER who was rescued from a river by firefighters at 4am after a night out yesterday insisted he was ‘OK’ – but refused to explain what happened.
Gary Mackay-Steven thanked rescuers after he somehow fell from a Glasgow bridge and into the River Kelvin on Sunday. But the new Aberdeen FC signing maintained his silence about how and why he came to be in the river after going over the parapet of Belander Bridge in Partick.
The Scottish Premiership winger was on the bench for his side’s 4-3 victory over Partick Thistle on Saturday.
Although he did not play in the match, the 26-year-old went out to celebrate his team’s victory at a nightclub before the dramatic river rescue, which came four days before his birthday.
Keen-eyed fans discussing the incident online reported seeing Mackay-Steven in The Sanctuary nightclub in Partick before the incident.
One said they saw him sharing a booth with a number of fellow Aberdeen players as well as former teammate Celtic FC midfielder Stuart Armstrong.
The club is a five-minute walk from the spot where he entered the water on Saturday, some 45 minutes after the club closed around 2am.
There have been reports that Mackay-Steven was involved in a verbal altercation at the popular nightspot and that he stormed off before jumping the barriers of the bridge, near the Kelvin Hall.
Around 2.45am, four fire engines and specialist water crews were called following claims the player had fallen into the water.
Mackay-Steven was pulled from the river – thought to have been flowing high and fast as a result of recent downpours – and was taken to hospital where he was treated for hypothermia.
It is unknown exactly when he went into the water, although there have also been reports that he was in the river for up to an hour and a half before the emergency services were called and reached him.
Yesterday, at his plush flat in Glasgow’s West End, the footballer arrived with a baseball cap covering his face and gave no clue as to why he had ended up in the river.
Mackay-Steven said he was ‘OK’ but declined to answer further questions about the incident.
His partner earlier said he would be unwilling to discuss what had happened on the night.
The only information on the incident came through Aberdeen FC, with a spokesman offering thanks on his behalf.
The spokesman said: ‘The club can confirm Gary Mackay-Steven was involved in an incident in the River Kelvin on Sunday morning. He was treated for hypothermia but is now at home and recovering well.
‘On behalf of Gary, the club extends its thanks to the emergency services involved.’
Online fans, meanwhile, were baffled by the player’s apparent behaviour, offering a mixture of concern and scorn.
Mackay-Steven, originally from Thurso in Caithness, is said to be a quiet, unassuming character off the pitch.
He played for Liverpool reserves between 2007 and 2009 and was signed by Fulham and Dundee United, before he joined Celtic in 2015. His two-year contract with Aberdeen FC started last month.
The player has also earned a single international cap, against the USA in 2015.
‘At home and recovering well’