THE SPECULATION LINKING James McCarthy to Manchester City has gathered pace over the past couple of days but a former Ireland international insists there’s no point in the midfielder making the switch if he isn’t going to see regular game time.
The lack of Irish players currently on the books at the top Premier League clubs is undoubtedly a cause for concern but Packie Bonner believes the national team can’t afford for McCarthy to ‘be sitting around on the bench’ at the Ethiad Stadium.
Reports in England suggest the Irish midfielder is on Manuel Pellegrini’s radar after City fell short in their pursuit of Fabian Delph and Paul Pogba.
And Bonner says it would be a great move for the 24-year-old but he is at a point in his career when he needs to be playing regularly.
“James is a wonderful player and a young lad with potential to go on and make that step further,” the former Ireland goalkeeper said. “If that next step is Manchester City then it would be a brilliant move for him but the important thing is to play.
“We don’t want him sitting around the bench and that’s the hard bit. City have the capability now to bring in any player they want and they’ve already got a very big squad.
“Ireland can’t afford McCarthy to leave Everton and not being playing regular first team football.”
McCarthy, who is currently in Singapore on Everton’s pre-season tour, has three years remaining on his contract at Goodison Park and Bonner admits the midfielder can be the standard-bearer within the Ireland squad if a move to Manchester does materialise.
“Our problem is that our players aren’t at that level,” Bonner continued. “For James to get that experience of playing for a big club and on the European stage would be hugely beneficial.
“As I said before though, and I emphasise it, you need to be playing. It’s a different type of environment as well because you’re expected to win every game but then you can transfer that into international football quite easily and the rest of the players will follow suit.”
Since becoming an integral part of Roberto Martinez’s midfield at Everton and garnering praise from pundits such as Jamie Carragher, McCarthy’s future has been a source of speculation with Tottenham among those monitoring his progress.
But he has yet to transfer his club form onto the international stage, with some quarters questioning whether the hype is justified. Eamon Dunphy even went as far as to brand him ‘a terrible flop’.
“We would love to see some Irish players playing for the big clubs and I think James certainly has the ability to play at that level but you have to kick on and fulfill that potential.
“Maybe he has to contribute more at international level, I don’t know, but it’s not just him either as there’s a whole group of players that need to work together.
“James has the ability to take the game by the scruff of the neck but I don’t think we’ve seen that. He’s good with the ball in tight situations, he’s got quick feet, he covers the ground well and is good defensively but maybe he could make more things happen – that comes with experience.”
Dunphy hasn’t been the only one to criticise McCarthy’s performances in a green jersey but Bonner thinks it might actually be a source of motivation for the player to prove the critics wrong.
“Sometimes when you get criticised, you use it as a positive and it makes you focus on what you really need to do. If team-mates or management aren’t saying it to you, someone from the outside will make you realise you’ve more to do.”
“As Liam Brady once said, ‘you’re an international footballer now, you’ve got to kick on.’”
The 2015 Packie Bonner Golf Classic, in aid of Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Ireland, takes place on Friday 21st of August in Palmerstown House Estate Golf Club in Naas, Co. Kildare. Contact plandy@sbhi.ie for team bookings and sponsorship opportunities, to help raise vital funds for this very worthy cause.
