WE NEED HARRY

Don’t let Arter slip out of sight, says McCarthy

MICK McCARTHY has stressed the importance of a manager having his best players available to him — and revisited the most infamous row in Irish sport to make the point.

The absence of Harry Arter has overshadowed Ireland’s preparations for their Nations League opener against Wales tonight.

And while McCarthy refused to comment on speculation about the nature of Arter’s withdrawal and rumours it had its genesis in a row with Roy Keane, the former Ireland manager recalled his own infamous split with Keane at the 2002 World Cup in talking about the importance of the best players being at a manager’s disposal.

‘I’ll tell you what, I think you have to try get the best players to play for you,’ said McCarthy.

‘Everybody is going to scream “Hold on” (and talk) about the 2002 World Cup when I sent Roy Keane home. I did invite him back. The offer was there to come back.

‘And that was me knowing that it was almost like the weight of the people that wanted him back. I had to offer that olive branch.

‘I’m not getting into this now, it’s as far as it goes. But I’m talking about having the best players with you.

‘If Harry Arter is one of the best players, then you have to try get him back. He is a good player, I

like Harry,’ said McCarthy. ‘I don’t know what the argument is about and I’m not dragging it [Saipan] up again because it was all dragged up during in the summer when the World Cup came around. Blah, blah, blah, it was b ******** ,’ he said. Comments Keane made to a podcast during the tournament saw the enduring controversy flare once more. ‘The point being, for all my strongest feelings, the olive branch was there,’ said McCarthy. ‘I prefer to be mediating and making up, having a happy inclusive camp instead of a split one. ‘Of course, 16 years later, that all sounds like nonsense. That is the case and you’ll find that at all the clubs I’ve had. ‘It’s up to the them to sort it out one way or the other. Whatever was said, they need to sort it.’ And on the second controversy flaming in Irish soccer, this time over the future of Declan Rice, McCarthy said Rice won’t ‘make it easy for himself if he decides to come back’, but was sympathetic to his dilemma. ‘If they’ve [England] been in his ear saying, “You can play in our team”, talking about playing with John Stones and Harry Maguire, all those lads, he doesn’t want to make mistake,’ he said. ‘He’s a young kid. They get in the team, play like a man and people expect them to be like a 40-year adult who make decisions more concisely and thoughtfully. ‘Let him make his decision.’