Mart: Hands off James

ROBERTO MARTINEZ has slapped a ‘not for sale’ sign on Everton midfielder James McCarthy (left).

Manchester City have switched their attentions to the Irishman after being rejected by Aston Villa’s Fabian Delph. McCarthy, 24, was back in action yesterday as Everton beat Stoke 5-4 on penalties after a goalless draw in Singapore’s Barclays Asia Trophy. And Toffees boss Martinez said afterwards: “He’s not for sale. My responsibility is to bring competition into the squad and we have strong competition for places. We don’t want to lose that.

“We’re not in a position where we have to sell to balance the books and want to create a winning team.

“James is a top performer. He has shown that over recent years. We know what he brings.”