Remember James McCarthy?
The Celtic midfielder has not been seen in a squad since the quarter-final Scottish League Cup in October when he got 18 minutes on the field. Since the beginning of the season, the Irish international has played a grand total of 62 minutes for the club.
We understand the defensive midfielder has been struggling with an injury, but due to his disappearing off the face of the earth, his progress or status is never brought up in any pre-match press conference.
Even if James was or is fit and ready to go, we know Ange doesn’t see him as part of the plans at Celtic Park. When the former Everton star was given a FOUR-YEAR DEAL just after the Celtic manager came in the door, the Celtic squad was in a mess.
CeltsAreHere understands majority shareholder Dermot Desmond played a hand in the deal and believed he was doing Ange a turn by bringing in a Premier League player to bolster his Australian’s options. It was done with a lack of understanding of how Ange likes his teams to play the game.
No disrespect to James McCarthy at all, but we all know Ange’s high-intensity, relentless football doesn’t suit a player in his thirties who has had a string of problematic injuries.
It’s been a strange one for James. Celtic were linked with the Irish midfielder for years and years, and when it did happen, he quickly didn’t fit into what was happening at the club.
We know the player and his family are big Celtic fans and James will be gutted by the way things have worked out. However, we can’t envision the 32-year-old will want to toil anymore at Celtic Park beyond the summer. Had he not been injured in January, his exit from the club could’ve been expedited.
Handing an injury-prone player a four-year deal off the bat was a poor decision from the club. However, our transfer record since then has been practically perfect.
The club and James must have a conversation this summer and a parting of the ways has to be the only outcome.
