IRELAND WILL HAVE James McCarthy available for tomorrow’s World Cup qualifier with Georgia.
The Glasgow-born midfielder has not featured for club or country since 23 August after undergoing a groin operation, but met up with the squad in Dublin and trained this week.
25-year-old McCarthy doesn’t appear to have suffered any reaction and manager Martin O’Neill expects him to be fit enough to feature at the Aviva Stadium on Thursday evening.
“He has trained the last couple of days and he’s feeling not too bad at all,” O’Neill said at his pre-match press conference. “Obviously, he hasn’t played in a little while, but he’s fit and, if selected, he’ll be ready to go.
“He’s over the injury, in that aspect it’s more fitness than anything that would be the concern. If selected, he wants to go.”
McCarthy’s club boss Ronald Koeman expressed concerns that the Everton man had been called up last week and pleaded that he be “protected” while on international duty.
However, O’Neill rubbished any suggestion that he would consider picking McCarthy if he wasn’t 100%.
“I would listen to the player, and the player has come over here and trained,” he added.
He hasn’t played for a couple of weeks, would fitness be a concern? Of course. Lasting the match would be a concern.
“If the injury has cleared up, I wouldn’t see that as a problem. I’ve been involved in club management for quite some considerable time — less so as an international manager.
“I have never played anyone, who has arrived not been properly fit, against their will to play.
“That has never been the case and, in fact, as an international manager I’ve been pretty lenient about those particular things.”
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