Wigan midfielder James McCarthy has moved to dismiss speculation that he is to turn his back on his international career with the Republic of Ireland.
The 20-year old is due to join up with Giovanni Trapattoni’s squad tomorrow ahead of the Euro 2012 qualifying clash with Macedonia on Saturday, but until he is capped in a competitive fixture for Ireland, he is still entitled to change allegiance to other countries for whom he is eligible to play for, such as Scotland, the country of his birth.
Trapattoni, of course, could have put the matter to bed by handing McCarthy a competitive cap a long time ago, but simple logic (such as picking Seamus Coleman and dropping Kevin Kilbane) often goes out the window when it comes to the ageing Italian.
Doubt has been cast over McCarthy’s international future in the last number of months after his failure to turn up for the Carling Nations Cup clash with Wales last month and bizarre comments from his club manager, Roberto Martinez, who suggested that he had a big decision to make over his international future.
The whole saga led many Irish fans to fear that we would lose such a talented player as McCarthy, who has lit up the Premier League with his performances for a struggling Wigan side this season.
Despite initial reluctance to go and meet McCarthy after a bad experience when meeting with international exile Stephen Ireland (no surprise there), Trapattoni bit the bullet and visited McCarthy in Manchester recently, where McCarthy reportedly reaffirmed his commitment to the Republic of Ireland.
An article in The Irish Examiner today carries quotes from McCarthy which would appear to have cleared up the matter entirely.
“I appreciate the interest from Scotland but I do not want to go back on my word,” said McCarthy
“I am, and will remain, a Republic of Ireland player. I hope to play against Macedonia next weekend and that will put any talk of Scotland to bed once and for all. There can be no going back after that.
“Trapattoni flew to England to see me. He wanted to look me in the eye and ask if I was happy and committed to Ireland.
“I told him I was happy and wanted to play for him. We were both satisfied at the end of it.”
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