Ben Blake reports from the Ernst-Happel Stadium in Vienna
MARTIN O’NEILL IS keen to move on from the recent spat between Ireland’s management team and Everton boss Ronald Koeman over the fitness of James McCarthy.
Dutchman Koeman has been involved in a war-of-words with O’Neill and his assistant boss Roy Keane in recent months — with the ongoing row raising its head again this past week.
O’Neill wants to put the issue to bed and doesn’t believe there is a chance Everton’s Irish players McCarthy and Seamus Coleman will get caught up in an awkward position in the middle of both parties — with the Ireland captain echoing his thoughts.
“I put James into a provisional squad because he thought he might get through,” explained O’Neill.
“I said there was always the probability that he wouldn’t make it and because of a hamstring I wouldn’t want to risk him if the only game he was going to play was coming straight in with us.
“The time he played before (against Georgia and Moldova last monght), he had recovered from the injury and the point was made that he was in Everton’s squad two days later having trained that morning. As far as I’m concerned it’s all over — end of story.
“I’m hoping if James is available again in March time then he would be selected.”
Asked if there’s a possibility that O’Neill will put a call into Koeman to rebuild bridges, he said he’d be more likely to phone up the new US President Donald Trump or his election rival Hillary Clinton.
“Yeah, well I think he would join a list,” he added. “I should put one into Trump first of all and congratulate him and see how well he’s doing. Then one to commiserate Hillary and then somewhere down the line we could go it with.
“There’s also the possibility that someone might call me as well too. It’s a possibility.”
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