MAC CAN MAKE UP FOR LOST SEASONS
AFTER an absence of 31 internationals stretching back almost four years, James McCarthy is set to pull on the green jersey again.
McCarthy, 29, was one of the major winners yesterday as Stephen Kenny unveiled his first Nations League squad.
Four summers ago, McCarthy helped spur Ireland into the last 16 of the European Championships finals. He’s hardly been seen since, but Kenny has a jersey set aside for him — starting on Thursday week against Bulgaria in Sofia.
It’s always patently clear when Kenny believes in a player and he was positively bullish about the abilities of the Crystal Palace midfielder, and what he can bring to the international arena on his return.
‘I think James has had a very good career already and represented Ireland at the Euros, but I feel there is more to come from him,’ said Kenny.
‘Speaking to him, he’s very, very excited to come back in and I’m excited to have him.
‘He has a tremendous weight and range of passing, and it’s not always been evident.
‘At this stage of his career, his best position is in the centre of a midfield three. He needs that space to receive the ball and utilise his range of passing. In a midfield three, in the centre is where he is utilised the best.’
‘Maybe because he has been the second midfielder he can’t go deep to get it (the ball). There’s bodies in the area, it’s congested, he’s having to play it backwards and go long so it has been hard for him.’
McCarthy last wore an Ireland jersey in the warm-up before the home World Cup qualifier against Wales in March 2017 when he picked up a hamstring problem.
A badly broken leg on Everton duty in January 2018 cost him over a year of his career and he was mentioned in the Ireland reckoning again when starting to figure in the Crystal Palace team.
Even then, he turned down Mick McCarthy’s offer of a place in the squad last November for ‘personal reasons’, which raised a few eyebrows.
In contrast, he appears to have been more enthusiastic about Kenny’s overtures, which followed 33 appearances for Palace last season – 16 of them starts.
McCarthy, Harry Arter, Robbie Brady and newcomer Jayson Molumby are the major beneficiaries of a major midfield shake-up by Kenny.
In contrast, 92-cap Glenn Whelan, Josh Cullen and Jack Byrne of Shamrock Rovers miss out. At 36, finding a way back for Whelan (below) won’t be easy but the veteran has held back Father Time before.
‘We’re not in a position where we can close the door on anyone. I wouldn’t write anyone off, certainly not Glenn,’ said Kenny.
For Kenny, the key to ensuring McCarthy’s motivation for the cause followed a one-on- one chat after his formal appointment in April.
‘We just had a conversation over Zoom. For him, I think it was just a matter of getting a consistent run of games under his belt.
‘It can be difficult when you’re injured for a long period, very difficult mentally to deal with that.
‘Can you take on playing midweek games as well and how will your body react to that? So it’s difficult to take that on board.
‘Crystal
Palace, thankfully, seems to have gone well for him last season. We won’t get too far ahead of ourselves, hopefully he can get a good run of it.’ When McCarthy last played for his country – in a 3-1 victory in Moldova – the Ireland team included Darren Randolph, Seamus Coleman, Shane Duffy, James McClean and Shane Long. A callow Callum O’Dowda was an effective substitute in Chisinau. For all the new colts promoted by Kenny for their first full campaign, he also leans on the bones of a hardened troop, proven in battle. One of them, McCarthy, has every incentive to make up for lost time. A half century of caps beckon, the elusive first goal, and, crucially, the opportunity to shine in a role that has been hand-picked for him by the new boss.
“I feel there is more to come from him”