Looking back on James McCarthy's career, you get the sense that he never could quite live up to to the potential he showed when he first came onto the scene.
He was a very highly rated rated prospect when coming through at Hamilton Academical, with all of the top clubs in England interested in signing him. He would eventually end up at Wigan Athletic, before then making the move to Everton.
While he gave glimpses of his talents at times during his spells at those clubs, there was always a sense that there was more to come from him. Unfortunately, that never materialised as the injury issues continued to rack up.
The same could be said of his international career. Ireland have lacked a ball playing midfielder for many years, a role he was capable of filling. However, availability was always a concern. In the end, he probably should have earned far more than the 43 caps he looks likely to end up with.
James McCarthy set for Celtic exit in coming days
Remarkably, James McCarthy is only 32-years old and should still be operating at a high level.
Despite this, his fitness issues have caught up with him and he has struggled for playing time since joining Celtic in 2021. The midfielder would feature for grand total of 52 minutes for the club in all competitions last season.
While Brendan Rodgers indicated that he would give McCarthy the opportunity to prove himself in pre-season, it seems his time in Glasgow is now coming towards an end.
Speaking to the Glasgow Times, the Celtic manager said it was a 'shame' that it did not work out at the club for the player.
I feel real shame for James because growing up he was obviously a Celtic supporter. I saw him a lot down in the Premier League and he was a fantastic talent there, both with Wigan and Everton.
Sadly for James, a few injuries and a few niggles have curtailed his time here, so he will be looking to move on. But he’s a great guy. He trained really well with the group when I first came in here and I’ve had a couple of really good conversations with him, but he’ll be looking to move on.
I think there has been interest, and I know that his agent has been talking to the club to see if we can find a compromise for him.
The Irish Independent suggest that McCarthy has drawn interest from teams in the MLS in recent times.
It's unfortunate that it didn't work out for him at Celtic, but that has been the story of his career over the last number of years.
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