FORMER IRELAND INTERNATIONAL James McClean has hinted at his unhappiness at Derry City following his return to his hometown club.

Now 37, McClean returned to the Ryan McBride Brandywell this season after a 15-year stint in English football.

“Family [are] enjoying being home – probably not so much myself, if I’m being honest,” McClean said during a punditry appearance on RTÉ on Saturday evening.

“You know, you have a lot of conversations on the phone, and then you come home and you quickly realise that what you hear on the phone is not what you see in reality.

“There’s a lot of factors that’s contributed to that, but we’ll leave them for another day.”

James McClean on his return from Derry

"What you hear on the phone is not what you see in reality"

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McClean came off the bench for the final three minutes of Derry’s 4-1 win against Bohemians on Friday night – the Candystripes’ first win in eight games.

He has made just one start and two substitute appearances since revealing last month that his career was in jeopardy due to a chronic hip injury, though a subsequent assessment allowed him to return to action in the short term.

“Fitness generally is fine,” he told RTÉ’s Tony O’Donoghue.

“Obviously it’s not ideal, but it’s in a lot better place than it was a couple of months ago.

“A couple of months ago, to be honest with you, I didn’t really know if I’d be back on a football pitch.

“The fact that I’ve got a few games in since then is obviously optimistic, so I’m trying to stay optimistic on it to be honest.”