James McCarthy is living his footballing ‘dream’ at Celtic and won’t want to leave the club this summer.
That’s according to BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Alan Hutton, who was speaking to Football Insider.
The lowdown
Celtic picked up McCarthy on a free transfer last summer following the expiry of his Crystal Palace contract. He had previously played for the Hoops at under-17 level before moving onto Hamilton Academical.
However, the midfielder has found playing time hard to come by under Ange Postecoglou this season, featuring for just 695 minutes (less than nine full games). McCarthy has only started four Premiership games (none in 2022) and one of Celtic’s European fixtures.
The Irishman, who is valued at £2.25m by Transfermarkt and was hailed as “incredible” by his former Palace boss Roy Hodgson, is under contract until the end of the 2024/25 season.
The latest
Hutton feels that McCarthy is in it for the long haul at Celtic and believes that the 31-year-old can be a valuable presence at Parkhead.
The ex-Scotland defender told Football Insider: “He signed a decent contract of four years, which I was quite surprised at when he first came in.
“It was probably a dream of his to play with Celtic. In the dressing room, he’ll give a wealth of experience, he’s played in the Premier League and big games.
“That’s always good to have, especially with younger players coming through who can learn off these guys.
“At the moment, at his age, he’s probably on a good contract. Will he want to leave? I’m not so sure.”
The verdict
It should be said that Celtic have made some excellent signings recently. For instance, attacking trio Kyogo Furuhashi, Liel Abada and Jota – who all arrived last summer – have scored 34 goals and provided 19 assists between them already this season.
On the other hand, the deal to bring in McCarthy was questionable. His £14,000-per-week contract could end up costing the club just under £3m if he stays for its full duration. That would feel like something of a waste if he continues to remain on the periphery at Parkhead.
McCarthy may have the experience of 272 Premier League games but it’s possible that a number of serious injuries have taken their toll, and Celtic should have been aware of that danger.
Indeed, it was reported in the autumn that the player was struggling to cope with the intensity of training, and that would surely have alarmed Postecoglou, who in turn has been slow to trust in the Ireland midfielder.
In other news, one talkSPORT man says a Celtic return is ‘definitely’ on the cards for this midfielder.
